Alienum Mea
by RyuoHama
Summary: The story of a boy- No, a man- as he struggles to find his place with a shattered past and uncertain future. Follow him from moment to moment as him and those around him make what they can out of the pieces around them. May contain blood/gore. Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Ugh..."

My vision swims. I can't see much, just shadows playing around the edges of my view. My ears ring with loud noises, and all I can make out is the percussion of my blood rushing though my veins.

My eyes start to adjust, and I see rubble, concrete, metal, and wood, all around. The little patches that aren't populated by broken building materials are coated in a thick layer of dust. on the walls are groups of little holes, punctuated by patches of what looks to be rust.

I cough. A lance of pain shoots through my chest. Wincing, I adjust myself, shifting from my previous slumped stance to a sitting position, taking stock of myself.

My side feels tender, and I think I have a broken rib. My legs feel numb, and as I look, I see it's because they're under a particularly large chunk of broken concrete. After a bit of struggling, I manage to move them out from underneath, and, though they scream with pain, I'm glad to see they're intact, for the most part. My head hurts like all hell, and is still foggy, but I clench and unclench my hands rhythmically to focus my mind.

As I clear the cobwebs from the back reaches of my head, the noise from outside seems to come into focus. A quick staccato of pops permeates the dark, collapsed room I'm in every so often, and stones clatter as the ground shakes slightly with heavy impact.

My throat is parched, and my voice is raspy as I cough out a quick call.

"Hello?"

I'm greeted by nothing new. I sit still for a little while longer, and then try to move. I curl my legs up to me, sliding them under me with a grunt. I can't afford to stay here any longer. Who know when this building's going to collapse?

Shifting up the wall and standing to my feet, I keep my balance, though my left leg seems less willing to hold me up than the right one. I shuffle forwards, away from the wall and towards the middle of the room. As I walk, a door is revealed from behind a pile of rubble, with stairs leading upwards. Seeing no other doors, I laboriously limp towards it, and take the stairs one by one, wincing as my tender side gets compressed and uncompressed rhythmically.

The stairs lead to another room, although here I can see full well what happened here. Three more bodies lay slumped against the walls, long swaths of what I previously thought was rust painting the walls behind them, what must now be bullet holes punched into packed groups and shaky lines. I suck in a tortured breath.

"Christus Domine..."

The rapid fire of guns greets my ears, clearer this time, and I can't help but cough as pain resurfaces again, the taste of iron flooding my mouth. Not good.

Another door leads to what I believe is the outside, so I shamble towards it, peeking out. No immediate problems meet my eyes, no commandos with Gatling guns or towering war mechs with laser blasters, and apart from the ruined buildings lining the street, the ruined cars crushed under rubble or burned out from one too many bullets to the gas tank, I find myself alone.

Starting along the street, I've only walked a few meters, holding my side as the pain pulses through every step, when I stop, hearing a hushed hiss. It's not animal in nature, but instead human, meant to get attention. I turn in the direction of the sound, and a soft face, smeared with dirt and blood, graces my eyes, peeking out from behind a particularly large chunk or ruined building. "Hey!." It hisses. "Get over here!"

I stop, contemplating my options, and then head over, taking cover behind the same rubble. I notice now that they're female, a slender, lithe build with heavy clothing bundled around. She's not carrying a weapon save a small length of iron pipe. They speak up again. "Are you with the Omnics or the Russians?"

I think to answer, but when I probe my memory all I receive is a painful reiteration of my previous migraine. "I- Agh!" I breathe for a moment to regain my composure. "I... don't know."

She eyes me up and down. "You've been through hell and back, need help. Let me and my friends get you patched up, yeah?"

I nod. "At this point, either you'll help me or you'll kill me, and both are welcome alternatives." I smile weakly, feeling another cough well up inside of me.

She mumbles into a handheld radio that's more duct tape than parts, and after a moment a man scrambles out from a doorway not too far down the street and waves quickly. She looks at me and pushes me slightly towards him. "He'll help you out. Just don't get shot on your way there."

I nod, and limp as fast as I can towards him. Upon reaching his side, he grabs my arm and drapes it around his shoulder, carrying me inside. My eyes start to close, and I don't fight it.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ugh..."

A repeat performance, only this time it's the good kind of hurt.

I open my eyes to a dimly lit room full of cots and other various beds, all cobbled together to stuff as many as possible into the small room. I groan, and a head sticks in, smiling. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

I chuckle. "If I look any way how I feel, I'm Sleeping Ugly." The chuckle hurts, but it's a dull ache now.

The woman from before walks in and sits on the edge of a bed next to mine. "You should have seen yourself a day or two ago. You looked like Hell itself had trampled you."

I try to prop myself up on my elbows to get a better look at her, and surprisingly, it works. "Where am I?"

She shushes me. "First, I need your name."

I try to remember, but all I'm greeted with is a mental block and a searing feeling in the back of my head. The world suddenly slips out from under me, and I fall backwards, landing hard on the pillow as my synapses start to turn to liquid fire.

To say my cry was a tortured wail would be an understatement. My hands found their way up to my temples though I didn't will them to, squeezing my head tightly as if it could banish the immense agony taking place inside my mind. I involunatrily curl up, whimpering, the trying to remember forgotten as the pain simply cripples me. I can feel her hands on me, shaking me, but only when the pain subsides do I uncurl myself.

My clothes I'm wearing are now soaked with sweat, and my eyes hang half-open as everything suddenly feels weak. She, now surrounded by numerous other people, speaks quickly, and I don't understand her. I take a moment, and she tries again.

"Are you back?"

I croak a reply, my throat cracking. "Back? What do you mean?"

"You've been having an episode for the past-" She turns to the people behind her for consensus- "hour and a half, yeah? Hour and a half."

Hour and a half? It felt simultaneously like eternities and an instant, though I don't say it. "I'm... sorry. I can't remember... my name." My voice is punctuated by heavy huffs as the sweat suddenly turns cold, and I shiver.

She shakes her head. "No memories. I've seen this before. Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Just sleep for now."

As she slips a blanket over me and the others dissipate towards different rooms, I drift off, not willing to stay awake any longer.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm about to groan, but I stop myself.

I open my eyes silently, and I'm greeted with another empty room. I assume it's daytime again, and take stock of myself. Apart from a throbbing in the sides of my head, I'm feeling calm, and my limbs, although weak, are opposable. I slide my legs out from under the blanket and let them rest of the ground. It's cool concrete, and it's comforting, almost. I use my arms to lift my torso off the bed and into a sitting position, and my side numbly grumbles as I do so, another good sign. I sit there for moment before standing up, and I totter on my feet for a moment before fully gaining my balance. I take careful, methodical steps, moving towards the door closest to me.

I hold myself in the doorway, and who do I see but the woman again, only this time she's washing some clothes in a basin filled with dirty water and a pitiful few soap suds. She notices me, and pauses her scrubbing for a moment. "Are you sure you're well enough to be up?"

I run a hand over my forehead and through my hair. "I hope so. What's going on?"

She sighs and resumes her work. "You've taken a heavy hit to your head sometime along the line, and it's damaged your hippocampus- the memory center. You knowledge hasn't been hurt, you can still talk, walk, et cetera- you just can't remember anything. And when you do, it hurts. Am I right?"

I nod. "Yeah, although 'it hurts' is an understatement. That's not what I meant, though. What's going on out there?"

She sighs, putting her washing aside for a moment before looking at me with piercing eyes. "War. Omnics are trashing village after village, and now they've set their sights on this one. We're holding on, but not well."

I try to make sense of it all, and my left eye starts to ache. Placing a hand over it, I continue. "You mentioned the Russians. What's that about? And what's an Omnic?"

"We're in Russia right now. Middle of summer, but Russia nonetheless. Half of us survivors are relief workers separated from the main force, and the rest are Russian residents forced out of their original homes." Her hands run over her thighs anxiously. "And an Omnic is a robot. A self-aware one, controlled by what's called a God Program. They're systematically annihilating humans all across the world."

"Christus Domine." I cuss, although I don't remember in what language. "What's our status?"

She looks down, her hair covering her face, and although I can't tell, I think I hear a sniffle. "There's nine of us, ten including you. Three men, two women, four children, and whatever you are- teenager, I'd guess, 18? 19? Either way, you'll have to start pulling your weight. We can't have somebody not do their part."

I nod. "I think I can do something right now, just help me process, you know? What do you need done?"

She points to the washing, and I shrug, feeling better on my feet as I approach the basin and scrub the clothes by hand. I get the feeling I've done this before, but I don't – ow – remember when.

She watches for a moment, and then patters off to another room, presumably to do something else. I continue my work, washing all the clothes in the basin, and then I peek through to the room she's moved to. "What do I do with them when they're clean?"

She waves a hand at me, her back turned. "There's a clothes rack just out the front door. Hang them up to dry."

It takes me a bit to find the front door, having stumbled into too many other rooms with an armful of wet clothes, but I eventually locate it and hang all the clothes up. As I do, I look at the landscape with more awareness.

It's large, with a clear blue sky, marred by columns of black smoke rising up from the ruined husks of civilization littering the ground. I can't help but feel as if I would have found it beautiful when it was fully alive, but now it seems as if we're living in the skeleton of a fallen behemoth.

Having finished hanging the clothes, I trod back inside. I peek inside a couple of rooms, finding unfamiliar faces, before landing my gaze on the one I want to see. The woman from before stands hunched at a table strewn with bits of metal and wiring, muttering to herself as she fiddles with what looks to be the remains of a handheld radio transceiver.

I chuckle. "Not looking good over there, eh?"

She sighs. "Damn thing went on the fritz after I hit it on a rock two days ago and has been acting up ever since. Tried to fix it, but I got nothing." She tosses it onto the table with a clatter and runs a hand down her face, fatigue clearly showing. "It's one of three we have that work, so we need it, but... I don't know what to do." She groans tiredly.

I offer a hand, pointing at the device. "Can I have a go?"

She waves her hands around. "Can't make it any more effed up than what it is. Go for it, champ." She sits in a chair in the corner, eyeing me as I pick up the busted radio.

I turn it over in my hands, and for some reason the cool metal reassures me, makes me feel at home. I fiddle with a couple of the wires absentmindedly before popping the plastic casing open with a quick pinch at the sides. Examining the inside, I grab a small metal rod and poke around, identifying each part, and what I think it does. After a while, I grab some components and fiddle with them, hooking things up in different combinations, replacing new wires to make new connections every so often, trying the button after each change.

After a while, I hear a faint crackle. Radio static. I turn to the woman in the room with me, who is sitting upright, a look of amazement on her face. "I need another radio to check if this one works."

She whips another one out from her belt and speaks into it hurriedly. "If this works, we're eating that last box of chocolates today."

He voice echoes out the end of the radio I just finished handling, and her hands drop to her sides in amazement. "I can't believe it. How did you do it?"

I shrug. "I'm about as confused as you are. I just sort of did what felt right to do. It's like playing with building blocks. Each thing just seemed to fit in its spot."

She chuckles, tossing her radio on the table. "And I was half hoping to save those chocolates. You're good, kid."

"Not 'kid'," I narrow my eyes. "I need a name."

As she muses out loud, trying out fitting names, in a flash of clarity in the middle of a storm of emptiness, I remember a word, a phrase, but as soon as I do, it's gone, with the memories tied to it, spirited away by the psychic winds inside my head.

"...Hey. I think I remember what they called me."

She looks up, surprised. "That's a first. Who's 'they'?" I shake my head, but she doesn't miss a beat. "Well, out with it, unless you want to be called kid for the rest of your stay here."

I shift awkwardly from foot to foot before outing it. "It's Ryuo... Ryuo Guillo."

Her face scrunches up. "What sorta damn mishmash of languages is that? You've bastardized half a dozen already and I'm not a linguist."

It's all I've got, and I make that known, but she pays no mind. "Ryuo then. Oh, I guess you should know mine." She sticks out a small, calloused hand. "I'm Ame."

I shake her hand, letting her name roll off my tongue. "Ame. Interesting." Before I can say more, my stomach growls, and we both divert our attention momentarily before laughing.

"Let's get you some food. I'm willing to bet you haven't eaten in a while."

I laugh. "Maybe it was all your talk of chocolate?"

She punches my shoulder in mock anger as we both exit. "Don't remind me. I wanted to save those..."


	4. Chapter 4

The silence around me is strangely comforting as I sift through the ruined robot's metal carcass. A hydraulic joint here, a bunch of wires there, and a bunch of armor plating in between. I make quick work of disassembling it, and quickly get at my prize: the power core. It shines a fickle shade of pink, the chemicals and electricity reacting inside to produce energy. I place it carfully in my bag, and grab the rest of my spoils, layering them above my precious cargo.

I stand up, and stare for a moment at the midday sun. It's a beautiful day to scrounge for scrap, but I should be getting back to Ame and the others. I don't like to leave on my own for too long, in case I hit another "episode". Thankfully, it's been a few weeks since the last one, and I'm feeling better, settling into a daily routine.

As I walk calmly, a clatter among the rubble puts me on alert, and I turn to face the sound, grabbing my pistol and hoisting it to chest level. It's only got three bullets in it, so I have to use them sparingly. Thankfully, it turns out to be a bear cub, trailing after its mother not a few metres away from me, with its back to me. It turns to look at me, and I smile, seeing a peaceful presence on its features as it turns back and keeps ambling along.

I holster my pistol, and keep walking. "It seems I've gotten used to the prospect of death, doesn't it?" I say to the sky, and to myself. "It's not that I'm desensitized, but that I'm at peace, I guess."

The sky says nothing back, and I chuckle. "Oh well. There's worse I could do for myself."

As I walk, I glance off to the side of my footpath and see something I haven't seen before. It's a Omnic unlike any other, with a large, hammerhead-style front end and what seem like legs, but are actually four coiled tentacles. I stand completely still as it moves around a ruined car park, inspecting its surroundings, with what I assume is its back towards me. I dare not move, nor radio for help, for I know Omnic behavior well, and anything that alerts this thing to me is my demise.

As I hold my breath, It slowly turns around, stopping to fully rest its robotic gaze on me. It stays still for a moment, and then continues on. I let out a sigh of relief in my mind, not willing to do so in the real world.

My radio crackles to life. "Dragon, this is Willowtree. Come in, Dragon."

Without warning, the Omnic launches itself at me, its tentacles coiling around behind it as it flies with pinpoint precision, bearing down on me. I draw my pistol and wait until it's close to me, rolling forwards so I'm under it as it presumably aims for where I was. A tentacle hits me while I'm rolling, and the other three soon follow, until it's wrapped me up. I know not to struggle, but my body still does so as it constricts me tighter until I'm in an inescapable grip. It lifts me to its optic, and surveys me as I try to maneuver my pistol into a useable angle.

Just as it beeps, I manage to wriggle my pistol so that it's angled at a glowing red glass orb located at the base of its tentacles. "Eat lead, infidel." I snarl as I pump all three precious bullets into what looks to be the power core. It sputters, and drops me, moving jerkily away from me as sparks shower from my target. I get up, and walk towards it, more angry than anything else, and when I get close enough, I bash the damaged Omnic with my pistol until it falls over, a low hum disappearing from the air around me.

I breathe in and out a few times before placing my pistol back in its holster and grabbing my radio. "...Willowtree, this is Dragon."

"Dragon, listen. I just spotted some atypical Omnics over your location. They've got-"

I cut him off. "Tentacles, yeah? Listen, you alerted one to me with that stupid radio of yours, big brain. I nearly got turned into mashed potatoes because of you."

He's silent on the other end. I sigh. "Listen, just watch the skies for me until I'm home. I may be a bit longer."

"...Affirmative." I take his response to mean his cooperation, and I move to the now-dead Omnic, semi-cautious, but also wanting to examine it for parts.

As I work, I find something that I haven't seen before. It looks like a jet turbine, but if it was squished down to be the size of the top of a soda can. I find two of them in total, and I place them both in my bag. I grab the tentacles as well, disconnecting them and setting them on the side as I delve further into the bot's inner workings. I salvage all the wires, and all the armor plating, as it looks suprisingly strong. I end my search when I find the power cores- two of them, which surprises me. "I guess it would need more power to sustain flight," I muse as I disconnect them from their casing, the thin oval-like shape fitting nicely in my palm. Sadly, both ahve bullet holes, so they're unusable. I toss them into the junk pile, and stand up, having finished my job. All my spoils go into my bag, which is now nearly overflowing, and the tentacles go over my shoulder as I trudge homewards.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, Ryuo!"

I greet the small child with a smile as I drop my stuff on the bench in front of me. "Hey, Celica. What's up?"

The 8-year old cheerfully bounces up and down. "Mama's finished the thing she was doing! She wants you to see it!"

I chuckle lightly as her charming demeanor lifts my spirits. "Alright, why don't you lead the way?"

She darts through a couple of doorways until I'm in a room laden with piles of fabric, all different shapes, sizes and textures. In the middle of it, a woman sits with her back to us, humming and hawing.

Celica bounds in happily. "Mama! I brought Ryuo!"

She turns to face us both, the wrinkles at the edges of her mouth tightening into a smile. "Oh, good." She gestures to a long-sleeved shirt she's just finished making, its burlap brown fabric accented with stripes of red on the shoulders and hems. "What do you think?"

"It looks beautiful, Carla. I'm sure Geoff will love it."

She giggles. "It's not for Geoff, silly. It's for you."

I point to myself, an eyebrow raised. "Me? Are you sure? Have you seen that rip in Geoff's shirt? It's borderline indecent."

Celica laughs from underneath a table piled high with cloth scraps. "Geoff's a meanie! He told me to go away yesterday."

I grin wryly at her. "Maybe it's because you were jumping up and down on his foot the entire time."

Celica starts to protest, but her mother starts before she can. "Will you try it on? I don't know if I got the measurements right."

I oblige, slipping off my overcoat and my oil-stained T-shirt to reveal my bare body, which is nothing flattering to look at. I'm not gaunt, but I wouldn't say I'm muscular either. Taking hold of the new shirt, I marve at how smooth the fabric is. "Are you sure, Carla? This is too much."

She smiles at me, but in her eyes I can see a shred of despair as she examines the scars on my torso and shoulders. "Keep asking like that and I really will give it to Geoff."

I slip it on over my head, and fit my arms through the sleeves. "It fits perfectly, Carla. You've outdone yourself."

Celica nods. "It looks really good, Mama!"

Carla gets up, pacing around me as I stick my arms out laterally for her to examine her workmanship. "Hmm." She muses. "How do the shoulders feel?"

I move around in it a bit, raising and lowering my arms. "Surprisingly comfortable."

She smiles. "I guess we're good to go then. I'll start on Geoff's," she adds mischeviously, "But I won't account for that paunch of his."

All three of us share a laugh, and I excuse myself to return to my work, taking my old clothes back with me. As I walk out the door, who should I run into but Ame, her eyes wide.

"There you are!" She exclaims, grabbing hold of my shoulders. "I've been- ooh," she stops, and feels the fabric, "nice duds- Anyways, I've been looking all over for you! What the hell happened?"

I tilt my head. "You mean the Tracker encounter?"

She nods. "Tell me about it!"

"Oh, I guess you haven't been back for a while. Alright..." We walk as I talk, explaining my fight with the large tentacled Omnic a few days ago. When we reach my workbench, I show her my spoils, including the tentacles, and the small disk-shaped turbines.

She sucks in a breath. "That's not good. We used to have base-level Omnics, but these are of a different breed... You're sure you're okay?"

I nod, and add jokingly, "I'm out all three bullets, though."

"Jeez," she sighs, rubbing her arm, "We've got to tighten up our perimeter. We can't let everyone out as late or as early, and they've gotta stay closer."

I shake my head. "The only reason I wasn't notified early is because Geoff had other people to warn before me. It was a group wide bunker order. I'm sure if we gave him someone to help spot and call out Omnic patterns, we could avoid that."

She bites a fingernail absentmindedly. "That could work... Who do you suggest?"

I shrug. "It's either Nobu or Celica, and I'm leaning towards Celica. She needs something to do, and Geoff, as gruff as he is, is good with keeping her occupied."

"Alright," she exhales loudly, letting her shoulders slump, "I'll ask her if she can start tomorrow. You just keep working on whatever you're doing."

"Yep. Stay strong, Ame. We'll make it through this." I pat her on the shoulder in what I hope is a reassuring way.

She smiles weakly. "Overwatch will come, I know it. We just have to hold on until then."

The talk of the group of heroes depresses me slightly. I want to tell Ame that it's been over two months and we haven't seen even an insignia yet, that they're probably dealing with something bigger, that we're all we've got, but I bit my tongue. "Yeah. Just keep moving forwards, eh?"

She nods, and leaves to go ask Celica to join Geoff on watchtower duty. I grab my radio and tune it to his frequency. "Dragon to Willowtree, come in Willowtree."

His voice crackles over the speaker. "Dragon, this is Willowtree. What's your status?"

"Good. Listen, I've done some negotiating with Ame."

He groans, and it comes out sounding tinny. "Don't tell me."

"Geoff, it was either this or limit out in and out times and distance, and that would starve us for important resources. We're low on bullets as-is."

"I know." His sigh is heavy and his wait is long, but he finally responds. "Who is it?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Would you be happy if I said it was Celica?"

He yells into his handheld radio. "Celica?! Dammit, she's just a kid! You can't expect her to-"

I cut him off. "It's either her or Nobu, and we can't reassign Nobu or we risk losing our base. If anyone can entertain her, it's you. Geoff, if you don't do this..."

"I know! I know!" He calms down after a moment. "I know... I just don't want to accept this reality, Ryuo."

I let my eyes fall to the ground. "None of us do, Geoff. But it'll get better, won't it?"

I get no reply, and I toss the radio onto the workbench, craking my knuckles to continue my work on the tech from the Tracker Omnic, but before I can, Nobu walks in to my workshop.

"Well, well. If it isn't Asano Tadanobu, in the flesh." I chuckle, offering a hand. "What brings you here, my good sir?"

He clasps it stiffly. "I have need of some scrap metal, if you have any."

I reach under the bench for the box filled with scrap armor. "Found another wall falling down? A door with a hole in it? A tower that needs repairing? Are you hungry?" I joke with him as he rifles through it.

A smile plays at the edges of his lips, but he stuffs it quickly and returns to his business-like demeanor. "I did find a ceiling that doesn't look too stable, so I'm going to reinforce it with a pillar. I also need this to finish camouflaging Geoff's tower."

I nod. "...You always do good work, Nobu. Truthfully, I admire you."

He barely shoots a glance in my direction. "A coward like me? Surely you're joking."

I twist him around to face me. "A coward is someone who runs from danger, Nobu. You're still here. That's brave enough for any of us."

He laughs hollowly, his eyes falling lifelessly from gazing at my face to staring at the floor. "I should be out there with you... But I, ah..." He rubs his shoulder, and I can see the divot from the bullet wound even under his clothing.

"Listen, Nobu, without you we'd be out on the streets, crushed under a couple layers of rubble, or just plain dead. You're integral to our survival."

He nods, his glum look lightening a bit. "I'll be back when this runs out."

I nod solemnly. "Keep up the good work." I pat him on the back twice, and he leaves without another word.

I shake my head, and return to my work.


	6. Chapter 6

"Willowtree, this is Dragon. Come in, Willowtree."

My radio buzzes for a moment, and then pipes up. "Hi, Ryuo!"

I sigh, putting a hand to my head. "Celica, you're supposed to say 'Dragon, this is Willowtree.'"

I can hear her pout on the other end. "But that's Geoff's name! I need a name too!"

"Okay, what do you suggest?"

She hums and haws for a moment, and then replies. "I dunno. You think of something!"

"How about Princess?" I posit.

She waits a moment and then pipes up loudly. "Why not Queen?"

I chuckle to myself. "Because your mom is the queen, Celica. That makes you the princess."

"Oh, I get it! Okay! Call me Princess!" She yells exuberantly.

I take a bit to compose myself, and then hold the radio up to my mouth, speaking seriously. "Princess, this is Dragon. Come in, Princess."

I hear Geoff faintly mumble something, and then Celica's voice rings through again. "Dragon, this is Princess. Loud and clear."

I chuckle. "Everything good up there?"

Geoff cuts in, sounding worn out. "Help," he sobs. I hear Celica yelp a protest in the background, and laugh. "You're doing great, guys. Keep it up."

I place my radio back in my bag and continue picking my way through the wreckage that is this once-standing convenience store. At least, that's what I think it is, because the sign outside is torn in half and I can't read Russian. As I search, I find a few cans, dented and scratched, but thankfully unopened. I toss them in as well and I'm about to continue on when I hear something scuff behind me.

I roll inwards, taking cover behind an empty rack before looking out. In the entranceway stands Ame, starting to chuckle. "You should have seen the look on your face. 'Oh no,' she pantomimes in a caricature of my features, 'a noise! What am I going to do?'"

I chuckle. "I don't sound as smart as that. Get good."

We share a laugh, and then she hoists her bag from her shoulder. "I've got some empty space, and I figured I should stop here and give you a hand with the massive haul."

I nod. "Don't just stand there yapping, help me dig through chunks of concrete for canned peas." This elicits a laugh from her as I shake my head. "Who'd have thought we'd actually want to eat Brussels sprouts?"

She smiles as she bends down next to where I'm stationed, and grabs a large hunk of ruined building, throwing it behind her. "Celica's doing okay with Geoff?"

"As good as we thought," I reply, inspecting another can and finding a hole in the bottom.

She giggles. "That bad, huh?"

I sit back, looking at her. "How do you do it, Ame?"

She looks at me quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how do you stay so genuinely happy? I'll laugh from time to time but I don't feel happy, you know? It seems like you know something I don't."

She grabs a iron reinforcement bar sticking out of the rubble and uses it to hoist herself into a new location. "I guess I just hope."

"Hope for what?"

"Hope for a new future. Hope for getting out of here. Hope for... You know, being saved."

I shake my head. "Aren't you just a tiny bit worried? You always talk about Overwatch like they're a team of gods, but I don't see them."

She smiles sadly. "They're out there. We just need to let them know we're here."

"I could rig something up if I had a radio relay, you know."

Her smile transforms into a stoic look, a plain face. "The only places I've seen working radio relays are..."

I finish her thought. "...are on the backs of specialized Omnics. I know. If we could take one out, we might be able to get out of here."

"Those ones are always protected by ground troops, though. We can't just waltz in and grab one. We need a plan."

Sure enough, a plan starts forming in my head. "Wait, Ame. You remember those turbine looking things I looted off the Tracker Omnic?"

She nods, and I continue. "What if I rigged those up to make a jetpack or something? We could drop in unsuspected on a radio Omnic and take it out."

She muses for a moment before waving her hands in the air. "Ah, we're supposed to be looking for food. Technology stuff later."

I chuckle. "If we can, _lettuce_ try to _brussel_ up some more food before we _peas_ out."

She groans. "Why do we keep you around?"

"You don't hear Geoff making dad jokes, do you?"


	7. Chapter 7

I touch the ends of the two wires to each other, and they make sparks as the turbine-looking thing I've begun to call a booster fires up and stats to spit out weak-looking flames. It jitters slightly as it moves across the table, slowly but surely.

I move the exposed ends of the wires away from each other and set them down, disconnecting the small battery from the booster. "It looks like it needs more power. Maybe a car battery?"

A small Mexican man in the corner chuckles. "Ese, if you want a car battery, you're lugging it yourself." He readjusts himself, crossing his legs and his arms. "Those things are heavy."

"Steven, if you want to help, you're more then welcome," I smirk, looking over at him.

He holds up his hands. "Hey, I'm on break. Don't look at me like that. And my name is not 'Steven'! It's Esteban!"

"Which is Spanish for Steven," I counter. "Tell me, Steve-o, what sort of break is this?"

"The 'I've-just-been-out-scavenging-for-a-week-straight-and-I-just-got-back kind." He yawns. "How was things while I was gone?"

I shrug. "Uneventful. Just going about life. Nothing big. I nearly got turned into a burrito by an Omnic, but you've probably already heard about that."

He titters. "You'd think you were a national hero or something. The only person that didn't tell me about it was you."

I connect the other booster to the battery and fire it up, watching it replicate the performance of the first one. "So either these are badly damaged, or the battery is insufficient. I need a bigger battery to check."

"Man, you've come a long way since I first saw you. And I first saw you covered in blood, staggering across a street towards me while Ame watched. Sucks I had to leave for the scavenging trip the next day, but whatever."

I nod. "I only hope it's up from here."

He peeks at one of the boxes under my workbench, the one that glows a faint pink. "What do you have in there, eh?"

I slide it out with my foot to show him my spare supply of power cores. "The things that keep the lights running in here."

He gasps in mock awe. "Wow. Couldn't you use one of those for the flying disk things?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Good idea..." Working quickly, I hook up a rudimentary power relay, and slot a power core into place on a metal holder. Grabbing the two ends of the wires, I slowly bring them together. "And..."

Just as the wires are about to touch, Ame and Geoff walk in the doorway, Ame in the process of greeting me. "Hey, Ryuo-"

A spark jumps from wire to wire and the booster roars to life, shooting off the workbench, clanging off the light above me, and, disconnecting forcefully from the apparatus I had it wired into, shoots towards Steven, who ducks as it pings off the wall behind where his head was located a second ago. It spins to a halt on the floor as the lamp gyrates lazily, hanging from the ceiling.

None of us say a word, and simply look at each other, amazed.

I pick my jaw up off the ground first and manage to croak out an observation. "Maybe I should weigh it down more."

Steven coughs. "No way I'm ever taking my break in here again."

Ame turns to him. "What break?"

Steven sighs. "It's an I-just-got-back..."


	8. Chapter 8

I wipe the sweat from my forehead, and lean back a bit, surveying my handiwork. It looks quite like a skeleton, with pistons and other hydraulics sticking out every which way. But the suit is coming along nicely.

Ame comments sleepily from the other side of the bench. "You sure a jetpack wouldn't have been easier?"

I shake my head. "It's either a full enclosure or straps, and a full enclosure would be too hard to get on and off, while straps would chafe like all heck."

"So a suit?"

"Not a suit per se. More like an exoskeleton. It's primary purpose isn't to protect. Too much armor would weigh it down. I just want it to boost me in a direction and help me not die if I hit the ground too hard."

Ame runs her hand over one of the pistons. "All this for such a small thing."

"It's useful otherwise. I just need it for one thing. After that, we can only bust it out when we need it."

She looks at me and yawns. "Do you have a name for it?"

I shrug, putting together a power cell and a bunch of wires to try to make a battery array. "Does it need one?"

"Do you know how crestfallen Celica's going to be when she finds out it doesn't have a name?"

"Okay, how about Dragon's Wings?"

She raises an eyebrow at me. "You're funny. No, it needs an actual name."

I try to fit the battery array onto the outer leg area of the exoskeleton, but it doesn't hold like I wanted it to, and I sigh. "Well, you come up with something. I'm too busy making the damn thing."

She mutters to herself, deep in thought, as I try to rearrange things so that the wires don't break while the suit is in use. I try a couple of things before taking them all off and laying them back down on the bench. "Maybe I need to make cables rather than individual wires, just to reduce bending."

Ame yawns again, and I look at her. "You need to get some sleep. You've yawned about three times in the past ten minutes."

She shakes her head and stretches. "I can sleep when you're done. I can't let this thing go unnamed any longer." She pauses for a moment, and then points a finger up in the air. "What about Dragon's Flight?"

"...That's literally restating what I said, Ame. Dragon's Wings is final."

She jabs a finger at me. "That's emo phase as hell. At least 'Flight' has something to do with it."

I shrug. "You want to name it, make one yourself. I have to focus on getting this thing up and running."

"...I'm going to sleep."

"I knew that would get you to go to bed. Good night, Ame."

She turns on me, a shocked look on her face. "What do you mea-"

"Good night, Ame."

"Fine, good night." She sighs and heads out of the room.

As I continue to work, the pieces seem to fit together. I bundle the individual wires into cables, and line the metal frame with them, running them down from the back to the ends of where my hands will go. I make a holder for the power cell, and make terminals so I don't have to hardwire them in. I make the ends of the wires into two separate pads that need to be contacted for the boosters to fire up, and place them in their spot.

"Now, all that's left is to attach the boosters and make straps for it. Oh, and something to help with combat. I can't do a gun, so maybe a hammer?"

Nobu speaks, and I jump, startled by his suddenly apparent entry into the room. "Too heavy. You'd need something lighter. I'd suggest daggers, but those won't work against metal."

I nod. "I'd also need some sort of protective backing so the boosters don't burn through my clothes. A bit of armor, just a negligible amount, so I don't bang something while I'm in the air and toss myself out of order."

He points to the bottom of the suit, where I've got hydraulics leading to metal plates. "You're going to need more impact softening. Add maybe two or three more pistons and some dampening fluid and you're good to go. How do you think you'll stop this thing after going full speed?"

"I thought I would just run for a few more steps and be good." I look at him, and he shakes his head disapprovingly.

"That won't work. You need something to catch yourself with. Maybe hooks on your hands?"

I can feel the gears start to turn in my head. "That could work, but it'd be unwieldy. Wait..." I grab a piece of paper and start scribbling on it it with a stray pencil. "What if, like this... And then... If we attached those here, then this could work?"

Nobu looks over my shoulder at my crude drawing of a gauntlet with clawed tips on the fingers and segmented joints. In the bridge between the thumb and index finger, the two contact pads are mounted. He nods. "And it's useful as a weapon. Resourceful, I must say."

I look at it, and then at the half-finished suit. "I'm not going to be able to finish this soon. I have to go out and scavenge too... Nobu, do you think you can do the gauntlets?"

Looking at me questionably, he shifts his gaze between me and the machine on the bench. "You want me to work on this?"

I shake my head. "You don't have to do the wiring and whatnot. I just want you to cut all the metals into shape for the dual gauntlets. I can take care of the rest."

"I don't know, Ryuo." He puts his hands by his sides and paces slowly around the room. "Do you really want me working on this? It is important."

I slam my hands down on the desk, causing the smaller, meeker man to jump in surprise. I glare at him, choosing my words carefully. "Asano Tadanobu. If I catch one more self-depreciating comment out of your mouth, I will tie you to a chair and toss you in the river. I ask those who I know can do things, and I asked you. Do you doubt my judgement?"

He looks at me, scared by my outburst. "I... No. I trust you."

I stand up, looking away from him for a moment. "Then trust yourself, because I trust you. I'm asking you, and not Geoff, or Carla, or Ame, because I need this done by the best." I sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

He slowly speaks up. "When do you need it done by?"

I wheel around to face him. "I'd prefer within a week, just so I can get measurements done and fit it to the suit before I test it. I'll get Carla to make gloves that you can use as anchors. I'm also going to need the area around the contacts pads to be made out of non-conductive materials. I can count on you to get this done?"

He doesn't even respond, simply snatching up the design and scratching notes here and there, grabbing sheets of metal from various bins and boxes around the room, muttering to himself. I busy myself with preparing more shock absorbers, and as he's about to leave the room, he stops, and I look up at the back of his head.

"Ryuo..." He starts, and I blink, hoping I hear what I want to and not what I fear I'll hear. He takes a deep breath, and starts again. "Thanks. I needed to hear what you said."

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Keep up the good work, Nobu." He nods, and leaves without looking back, walking with a purpose in his step I hadn't noticed was missing.

I turn back to my work once more, and tinker until my eyelids droop.


	9. Chapter 9

Ame and I walk out of my workshop, and I sigh, with the stress on my shoulders weighing me down. "I'm just glad it's nearly done. The only thing that's left is to attach the gauntlets Nobu made and test it."

Ame nods as we turn the corner, where Geoff and Celica are bickering near a map on the wall. "Dragon's Flight is coming along nicely."

Celica turns around and looks at Ame piercingly. "I think Wings is a better name."

Ame gapes at Celica. "You what?!" She turns to Geoff, a pleading look on her face. "Geoff, please tell me you don't think so too."

He shrugs, and stuffs his hands in his pockets as he looks at her. "Flight just doesn't sound as cool."

She looks at me, simultaneously hurt and angry. "You paid them to say this, didn't you."

I decide to put fuel on the fire and raise my hands in mock helplessness. "I can neither confirm nor deny those allegations."

She scoffs, and walks out of the room. "At least Carla's on my side..."

We all raise an eyebrow and look at each other in near-unison. Celica giggles. "She's just mad because her name wasn't as good as yours."

I nod, patting her on the head absentmindedly as I look at Geoff. "Anything different in the movement patterns?"

Shaking his head, he replies with an easy "Nope." He catches himself, and then adds, "There have been more Trackers as of late. You're going to want to steer clear of A-12 to N-12 while you can."

I peek at the map hanging on the wall to remind myself of where those are. "Alright. Where's Steven headed for the day?"

He points to a series of pins. "Steven is off to K-3 to search the hardware store for any useful materials, Ame's headed to C-9 to loot the industrial zones, and Tomasz was feeling good enough to go out to E-4 to see if the market has any usable food."

I take note of our current location of H-2 and ponder. "Did we hit that armory at J-11 yet?"

Geoff coughs. "That is one block away from where I just told you not to go. The only reason why we haven't gone there yet is the reason why I'm not letting you go there now. It's too dangerous. I barely cleared Ame to go out to C-9, let alone letting you go to J-11. No way in hell."

"What about I-7? Anything good there?"

He nods. "A residential block. Anything can be found there. Might be worth a shot. Alright." He places a pin right in I-7. "You're good to go. Celica and I have to go get ready to spot."

She growls at him playfully. "I'm going to win this time!"

I chuckle, and she turns to me. "We're seeing who can spot the most Omnics on the move. He always beats me, but I'm going to do better than him! Just you wait!"

I sling my bag over my shoulder and wave to the both of them. "I'll get a head start on you guys then."

Without a reply, Geoff turns around and starts to walk towards the watchtower.


	10. Chapter 10

"Dragon, this is Willowtree. Come in, Dragon."

Ah, the moment I've been dreading. "This is Dragon. Go ahead."

"We haven't received word from you on whether you've reached your destination yet."

I sigh into the radio receiver. "Listen, Geoff. I'm not going to I-7. I'm going to the armory."

I hold the handheld device at arms length, and it still feels as if he's yelling in my ear. "I CANNOT F*CKING BELIEVE YOU! I EXPLICITLY TOLD YOU NOT TO, AND YOU WENT AND DISOBEYED ME ANYWAYS!"

I speak clearly into the radio. "Listen, we need what might be in there. If I go, I might die now. If I don't, we'll all be dead later. You know I'm right."

He begins to speak, but Celica cuts him off. "Hey! There's three of those flying ones! I'm ahead!"

He begins to shush her. "Not now, Celica, I'm-" He cuts off abruptly. "Dragon, get out of I-7 now. I repeat, now. Three Trackers are headed straight for the residential building- no, they're at it already- damn!"

I duck my head and begin weaving in and out of rubble and outcroppings, trying to keep hidden from the sky as much as possible. I can still see the building in the distance, and I try to put as much distance between it and me as possible. When I feel I'm far enough away, I lift the radio to my lips. "Dragon to Princess, come in Princess."

Celica's cheerful, yet slightly scared, voice comes over the comms. "Dragon, this is Princess. Go ahead."

I let out a heavy breath, and smile. "You saved my butt back there. Good job. Remind me to tell everyone how great you did when I get back, huh?"

She laughs, all tension immediately gone. "I told Geoff I'd beat him today!"

I hold down the button again. "Willowtree, this is Dragon. I'm currently somewhere between J-11 and I-7. What's my status?"

"Dragon, you made a reckless decision," he starts, and I brace myself for what's coming, but I'm instead surprised as he deviates from my expectations. "However, it saved your life today, so I'll overlook it so long as you come back with a full bag and no bullet holes. Am I understood?"

I nod, and then sheepishly realize he can't tell what I mean if I don't say anything. "Yeah."

I pick my path through the ruined streets, and it gradually gets clearer as the rubble gets less and less problematic. As I near my destination, I keep vigilant watch, wary for anything at all out of the ordinary.

Seeing the door is firmly shut, I walk around the outside, looking for a window I can enter through. Finding one unbroken, I pick up a rock and throw it as hard as I can muster. It shatters the window and lands inside the building with a rolling crunch. I use a smaller rock to chip away at the remaining glass before clambering in, managing to land on my feet on the other side.

I cough once or twice at the dust filling my lungs, wafting about in the room, and playing in the beams of sunlight. I look around, and start to pry open lockers, fiddle with lockboxes, and rifle through drawers. "Let's see what you have for me, here." I find myself soon consumed in my task, moving from room to room, that I lose track of time.


	11. Chapter 11

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

 **Thank you so much for reading this far! I'm absolutely astounded by how far I've got, and I hope to continue on strong! Please keep reading, leave reviews, and keep being awesome!**

* * *

I slump against the wall, tired, as I survey the pile of goodies I have to take back to home base. Three bulletproof vests, a military-grade helmet, two sniper rifles, with a large sack of bullets for them, a fire axe, in good condition, and a riot shield. Everything else is either too broken to be useful or just not useful. I stuff the bullets and the helmet in my bag, grab a strip of cloth and tie the axe to a belt loop, sling both snipers over my shoulder, and put on one of the vests, the other two going under my left arm as my right holds the shield. I feel like a penguin, as I have to waddle to move. I sigh and drop it all.

"Willowtree, this is Dragon. Come in, Willowtree."

Geoff, sounding more calmed down, answers me. "Dragon, this is Willowtree. What's taking you so long?"

"I've got too much stuff here to take safely in one trip. Is there anyone in my area that can give me a hand?"

"Hold on, I'll hail Ame, and see if she's willing to help." His voice cuts out of my channel as he swaps frequencies to talk to her. After a bit he returns. "Ryuo, Ame's on her way. Stay put until she shows up."

"Affirmative. Thanks, Geoff."

He grumbles. "Yeah, yeah. Just be safe."

I sit down, my back against the cold concrete wall, and I listen for sounds indicating the presence of human or Omnic. My eyes slowly start to droop, and the next thing I know Ame is shaking me by the shoulder.

"Wake up, idiot!" She chuckles, but there's a sense of urgency in her voice. "We've got stuff to haul. It's already night, so let's move quickly, yeah?"

I nod, shaking the sleep from my brain and pointing at the pile of things. "If we each wear a vest, and you wear the helmet, we can each take a sniper, put the last vest and sack of bullets in our bags, and then I'll take the axe and you take the shield?"

She nods, and we set to work organizing things. I take the axe off the top of the pile to get at everything else and set it so its head falls against the wall. To my surprise, rather than making a solid clunk, it instead clangs hollowly against the wall. I stand up, intrigued. "Hey, Ame. What's the possibility of a false wall?"

She looks visibly amused by my comment. "There's no way that's a false wall."

I study it intently, noticing that this wall is made out of cinderblock brick while everything else in the base is poured concrete, and soon find that there is no entrance to the room from any of its four sides. I step back, and look around me. Spying a fallen locker, I motion for Ame to come help.

She exhales tiredly. "I just want to nap..." Begrudgingly, she grabs the back end, and we hoist it up as a makeshift battering ram. I count down through my teeth. "One, two... three!"

We slam it into the wall, making it shake, but it doesn't budge. We do it a few more times, and each time the wall gets progressively more bent out of shape. On about the sixth hit, a brick falls out, and I drop my end, looking inside. I can't see much, but I use my hands to move the exposed cinderblocks out of the way to widen my viewpoint.

Inside is a corpse, fairly intact, slouched over a desk, littered with knobs, buttons, and dials. On the wall is a power switch set to "off". Ame and I look at each other, and she nods. I move to the power switch while she unceremoniously dumps the dead body onto the floor and sits in its seat, hands moving over the board like a pianist plying their craft. As I flip it to the "on" position, the board lights up, illuminating Ame in a spectrum of digital lights as she grabs a headset from off to the side and slips it on. Mumbling to herself, she twists this and pushes that, a small green screen set in the middle showing her what she needs to know.

After about a minute of this, during which I am transfixed by her expertise, she cries out in triumph. "Yes! It works!"

I tilt my head to the side. "What is it, though?"

"A comms array! This building was meant to communicate with other villages! I might be able to reach someone!" The glitter in her eyes isn't just from the digital lighting behind her as she swivels to face me. "We can get out!"

I start to laugh, first a simple exhalation, then I pump my fist, overcome by joy. "Yes!"

We share a moment of victory before I settle down. "How long will it take you?"

"To hail one frequency, maybe five minutes. To hail them all, we'll be here all night."

"Do you know which frequency to use?" I question, looking around for any indication.

She shakes her head. "Nope. All night it is. You'd better let Geoff know the news."

I nod, grabbing my radio and putting it to my mouth, leaving the small room as Ame gets to work. "Willowtree, this is Dragon. Come in, Willowtree."

Geoff's voice, anxious, rings over the handset, Celica's worried cries in the background. "Dragon, this is Willowtree. What's your status? We're concerned."

I laugh. "Listen, Geoff, you won't believe what we found." I continue, not waiting for him to guess. "It's a fully functional comms array. Ame is contacting the outside world as we speak."

He, having been taking a small sip of something, spits it out. "You found a what?! No way. No way! That's good – no, that's great! I'll get Celica back up in the watchtower with me and we'll monitor your position for activity! Wow, I don't know what to say."

Carla's voice calls out in the background. "Maybe 'thank you' would be appropriate."

I cut them off. "I need to know how safe we are, because that influences how many channels we can contact before we need to leave. Just keep me posted.

I place the radio back in my bag, not needing to hear the response, and return to the room. Ame is busy spitting a bunch of codes and whatnot into the microphone on her headset, but I can pick up a few things here and there. "Group of survivors... Located... Send support immediately." She turns a knob and starts her schpiel again.

After a while of watching her, she jerks upright from her previous position of being slouched over the board. Her eyes go wide and she mouths incoherent words to me, pointing at the headset. I look at her questioningly, and she flips one of the earpieces around for me to hear. I stick my head next to hers and listen.

"...repeat, this is Commander Jack Morrison of Overwatch. Confirm, Theta-92 Outpost. Repeat, confirm."

She manages to get out of her stunned stupor long enough to stutter a reply. "C-copy, Captain Morrison."

The gruff voice on the other end continues. "We've received your coordinates. We'll send an evacuation team your way immediately. Expect them by morning, at location..." He finishes by rattling off a few numbers which Ame seems to understand.

She replies enthusiastically. "Copy, sir. We'll be there."

"Stay safe." With a final caveat, the voice on the other end ceases to speak. Ame does as well, setting down her headset.

"We... We did it," She whispers, tears forming in her eyes, starting to run down her cheeks. "We f*cking did it. Holy shi-" She cuts herself off, turning to me with a huge smile on her face. "We're getting out of here!"

Without warning, she launches from my chair and hugs me, taking me off guard, though I still manage to stay standing. I, beginning to feel the ecstacy of the moment, hug her back, sharing in her joy as much as I can. We stand there, embracing, laughing, lost in euphoria of finally being done, for a moment, before she lets go and grabs me by the shoulders.

"Man, I should listen to you more often," she jokes, looking around. "What a find."

I'm about to say something, but I'm cut off by Geoff's panicked voice screaming loudly from my bag. "Ryuo! Ame! Pick up, please!"

I fish in and grab it. "Geoff?"

His voice cracks as he fights to keep his breath steady. "There's 20- no, 30- Omnics headed your way! They must have caught the radio transmission! You've gotta get out of there!"

I don't stop for a moment, simply turning and running to my original entry point. I stop to slip a bulletproof vest over my head, and motion to Ame to do the same. She shakes her head, vaulting through the window gracefully. "No time. Come on!"

I grab one for her anyways and follow her through, dropping to the ground beside her. We take off as fast as we can, and she starts to gain a lead on me, as I'm weighed down by two bulletproof vests. I fight hard to keep the pace, but corner after corner and leap after leap and I'm a good second behind her. I notice the residential building, my fake destination from before, whiz by, but we keep our clip steady as we bolt through the ruined streets.

My vest catches on an exposed iron bar, and I tumble to the ground, taking a nasty fall. Ame stops and jogs back to me, breathing heavily. "You good?"

I take stock of myself, but as I do so also push the bulletproof vest on her. "Give me a minute and put this on."

She obliges, slipping it on and beckoning me on. "We have to move. The longer we're out here, the more chance we have of-"

A gunshot cuts her off, complete with a smoking hole next to her feet, and we look behind us to see a Bastion unit, its optic glowing red, pointing its assault rifle at us. I scramble to my feet and run as fast as I can, Ame ahead of me like greased lightning. I don't even recognize the scenery as we run as fast as we can possibly go, my heart pounding through my ribs, stopped only by the bulletproof vest, my breath like razor blades in my throat and the breath of God in my lungs.

More gunshots ring out, quick series of jittery pops as we dart through intersections and across expanses, no bullets making connections. As we enter a more congested area, I pull out my radio. "Geoff!"

"Copy!" He yells into the other end, about as raggedly as I feel.

"Pack everything up! They're on our tail! Get everyone else to safety!"

"Copy!" I can hear him yelling in the background, but I turn my focus back to running. I'm now a fair bit behind Ame, and I've lost track of her, but I know the area better now that we're closer to base. I take each twist and turn at full speed, not wanting to slow down for fear the Omnics on my tail won't miss next time.

I start to chant the directions out loud in order to keep my mind focused. "Left here. Right here. Left again. Straight through. Faster! Left! Right! Faster!"

I push myself to the absolute limit as I bolt homewards. Finally, I see base come into view, with Carla herding Celica out as Geoff watches from the roof. I slow down right as the sun starts to rise on our once-peaceful dwelling.

Geoff jumps down and lands in front of me, approaching quickly. "Where's Ame?"

I look behind me. "We got separated. I'd have thought she would be here before me..." Without thinking, I whip the radio to my lips. "Ame! Come in!"

After a moment, I hear her flow over the airwaves. "Yeah?" She sounds out of breath, labored almost. "You home yet?"

"Where the hell are you?" I start to walk inside, already anticipating what I'm about to hear.

"Buying you guys some time, what do you think? Get to the soccer field outside the school, they'll pick you guys up." I can sense the sadness in her voice, a bittersweet melody.

I resist the urge to throw my radio at the nearest wall. Placing it in my bag, I turn to Geoff. "Where's Nobu?"

He points to my work area, and I walk in to find him folding up my project. "R-Ryuo!" he stammers, surprised.

I disregard him, instead grabbing my bulletproof vest and taking it off. "Nobu, can you attach the gauntlets?"

He looks at me, panic spreading across his features. "I already have. Don't tell me you're-"

I start to place myself into the suit, yanking straps tight, nearly too tight, in my rush. "I need you to tighten up the shock absorbers and fill all available slots with power cells. Geoff, help me with these straps. I'm not leaving Ame behind."

Geoff looks at me with the same expression as Nobu, and for a split second they weigh their options. Then, almost in union, they get to work, doing what I've asked of them. In what feels like too long and no time at all, I'm all suited up. My movement feels stiff as I start to move towards the door, flexing my muscles to move the damn thing.

Nobu comes up alongside me as I reach the door. "You're not going to test it first?"

"Every moment I waste is a moment Ame could die. I have to move fast." I start off at a walk, and then move up to a jog, feeling the crude metal apparatus I have strapped to me start to loosen up a bit, bending to my will, moving as one with me. Once I start running, pumping my arms back and forth, I straighten out my hands and take my thumbs out of my palms, lowering them slightly to touch the base of my index finger, rubbing the contact pads together, sending electricity coursing to the boosters, and-

Liftoff.

I push off the ground with my feet, and I'm flying, much faster than I could ever have run on my own. All too soon, the ground rushes back up to meet me, and I take it in stride, pushing my legs, one in front of the other, just to keep my balance. My torso moves forward faster than my feet, and I'm forced to jump to reposition so that I don't fall over. I don't let up for a second, instead recklessly blasting my way through the streets, dodging and weaving through what I can and jumping over the rest. As the congested area comes into view, I lift my radio to my mouth. "Ame! Where are you?! I'm on my way!"

She coughs, and then laughs weakly. "Don't waste your time. Just get out."

I start to say something but Geoff and Celica cut me off. "Ryuo! Ryuo!" they shout, their voices tinny through the handheld transciever. "She's at the auto repair shop, the one you looted!"

I adjust my course slightly to the right, noticing I now have to weave in and out of a ton of small alleyways. I scoff, instead leaping off the ground onto a car, and from there onto the flat roof of a single-story building. It only takes me a few steps before I have to jump again, onto another roof, and from there in another few steps to the next. My strides are long and I bob from side to side as my feet, connected to the metal soles on the suit, pound on the rooftops of businesses, shops, and homes, all with relatively flat roofs, which is good for me, as my destination comes into view.

I see Ame, sitting on the ground, holding her side, grimacing, her back against a chunk of rock resembling a wall. I see an Omnic, its red optic staring her down, holding a gun aimed straight at her head.

I don't need time to think.

I simply jump.

I aim for behind the Omnic, and reach my hand out to catch its head. As I swish behind it with inches to spare, the metal of my gauntlet comes into contact with the metal of its make, and I strain my arm to keep my grip as all it wants to do is tear off at my shoulder. Fortunately for me, the Omnic gives in before my arm does, its head tearing clean off of its shoulders, sparks flying from both the severed cortex and the decapitated body. I take a big tumble, not caring about my landing, rolling to a stop about ten feet away from where the Omnic, now hopelessly trashed, falls to the ground in front of Ame.

I uncurl myself and groan, feeling my whole body protest from the intense battering it just weathered. My arm screams with agony – I must have sprained, if not dislocated it – but I ignore it, instead moving to where Ame stares at the still-sparking body of the deceased Omnic.

I manage to laugh at her face. "You were right. Flight is a better name."

She coughs, and my eyes open wide when I see flecks of blood on her lips. "Ame, have you been hit?!"

She lifts her arm from across her midriff to uncover a nasty gash in her side, which has already stained the clothing around it with blood. "One of them nicked me. I also took a nasty shot straight to the back but-" she coughs, interrupting herself- "the vest saved me from that one."

I take out my radio once more. "Geoff! I have Ame. Is Overwatch there?"

A voice answers, though it is not Geoff's. "We're here, where are you? We have the rest of the survivors."

I recognize the voice as the gruff man from Ame's communication. "Sir. One of mine is wounded. We're about a kilometre or two from your current location. Can you send an advance team to extract us, or drop another bird nearby?"

The voice growls. "Neither. You'll have to either wait there while we swing by, or you can meet us here withing 30 minutes."

I shake my head, looking at Ame's pained expression. "Get here as quickly as you can, then. We have one injured and she's bleeding out."

"Affirmative. Hang tight- we're on our way."

I look at Ame, and then out at where I crashed after my running leap. Two more Omnics are already moving in on our location.

I look around. "What can I use...?" I notice the dead, twitching robot corpse beside me, and an idea starts to form in my head.

I grab the body and yank it closer, thanking my lucky stars that it's another Bastion unit. I rip off the front paneling and grab through the wires until I find the one I want, connecting it to an exposed end of another to hopefully spark the desired change.

The machine beeps, and then starts to move, changing its configuration from that of a walking, humanoid form to a stationary turret, though the form is broken, and looks barely held together. I look up to see the two Omnics taking aim at my location, and I duck behind some cover as bullets pepper where my head would have been had I not moved.

I grab through more wires until I come to my primary concern. I tear it out, quickly replacing this wire at that terminal with that wire from this terminal, before finally reconnecting the power cell to my new circuit. "Come on, come on...!"

With a start, the turret barrel starts to rotate and, within a second, is pouring out bullets like a hose. I grab the edge of it and grunt, exerting all my force to turn it to face my aggressors, tearing through their metal chassis like paper and reducing them to scrap heaps in seconds. I disconnect one wire to stop the whole assembly, but as I do, more robots take the places of their fallen brethren. I drag the edges of the unit to aim the turret manually and connect the wires to shoot, taking one out, then aiming and shooting the next, aiming and shooting the next, and so on. I simply swap my aim from one target to another, almost like a video game. Ever so often a bullet would ping near me, but my unwilling puppet seemed to be taking the brunt of the attack.

With a metallic snarl, probably caused by a timing belt issue of some sort, one of the Omnics pierces the frontal armor on my weaponized corpse, shearing through the wiring. I barely move away before it explodes in a fragmentation of metal parts and spent bullet casings.

I land right in front of Ame, who is looking more and more glassy-eyed by the moment. I call out to her. "Ame! Keep awake. Keep focused, on me."

She mumbles something, and I look back to see the Omnics starting to vault my previous line of cover and advance, with us in the line of fire. I stand up, standing with my body directly in the way of Ame's, not willing to let any harm come to her, my body barely moving as I want it to for the pain, facing the Omnic defiantly as it raises a triple-barreled gun to bear straight at me, and through me, Ame.

I close my eyes. My lips open as I breathe in and out. "It's over."

The gunshot rings clear and true.

However, it's the sound after it that I don't comprehend, a screeching and clanking noise, along with a low hum.

I open my eyes to find the Omnic beeping and whirring, a hole straight through its head, struggling to aim, or keep its balance, the four horse-like legs beneath it shifting around. Another shot, this time closer, rips through its gun, causing a high-pitched keening sound as the gun itself overloads, sending melting bits of metal and unspent ammunition to fall to the ground. As I turn and look, the most majestic sight I think I've ever seen greets me.

A large military-grade dropship hovers over the battlefield, its side hatch opened to reveal a sniper, crouched low with a cowl around them, taking shot after shot, getting kill after kill. A man in a large suit of armor stands next to them, holding a vast shield made of shimmering blue light in front of him, causing all enemy bullets to stop right in front of the sniper's face. A man with an assault rifle stand near the edge, yelling. I strain to hear his words.

"Get the hell in, now! We need to evacuate!" He waves a hand at me to bring Ame with me.

I place my arm behind her head and the other under her legs, and though my whole body screams, I lift her, crying out as the exertion makes it feel like my muscles are combusting. I carry her step by precious step to the edge of the platform, where the soldier takes her from me and hoists her into the dropship. I can hear bullets hitting the concrete around me, some even going so far as to ping my suit, and this spurs me on as I, too, climb up, passing through the shield as if it weren't even there. As my feet leave the ground, the sniper grabs my arm and yanks me in as the hatch starts to close and we pull away from the ground. As the hatch closes, I see the rest of our survivor crew huddled against the wall, Carla hugging Celica close as Geoff, Steven, Nobu, and Tomasz sit there, their heads all leaning against the metal behind them.

I smile. "The gang's all here. We made it...! Heh..."

With a start, I feel a warmth in my stomach, and not the wholesome kind. I reach down and touch my abdomen to feel a crude sting where my fingers meet flesh. I look down, and the sniper next to me follows my gaze to three fresh bullet holes in my stomach, blood rapidly staining the clothes around them.

I close my eyes to blink, but instead open them to find myself on the floor, a plethora of faces I don't recognize clustered around. I hear faint yelling, and I want to tune in more, to move, to fully understand, but my senses, body and mind all disobey me, simply too worn out from all the excitement to function any longer. I turn my head to the side and see Ame laid out in a similar fashion to me, people around her as well. I smile.

"At least Ame's okay..."

With that thought as the last clear, coherent string of words my mind could put together, I drift from the cold metal floor into a weightless, inky black expanse.


	12. Chapter 12

I can hear voices.

Voices I can't place names or faces to.

They float around me, but I can't open my eyes to look, so I listen to them. They speak in a muffled way, as if behind a pillow.

"...going to make it."

"...a coma for how long? That's..."

I strain my ears. This must be important! I need to hear it!

"...litres of blood. It was..."

"...will he wake up? Someone..."

"...Cerebral scans show increased brain activity."

As if reaching out my hand, I struggle to make out more words. It feels like I'm trudging through molasses, but I continue, and soon the words get clearer, not foggy as they once were.

"What, you mean he's awake right now?"

"He doesn't show any external signs. It could be the shock, we don't know. What's important is that we have both of them in stable condition."

"So are we going to have someone in the rooms at all times? Y'know, in case they wake up for a moment or so?"

"Are you volunteering, Hana?"

"I-uh-no, I'm just wondering."

"Hana, you've never been this interested in the medical process before. What's wrong?"

"I just feel like this is my fault. I – we – could have been there. If I was a just a little bit better, I could have prevented this."

"I know, Hana. You're the best of the best, but you're not perfect. There's always someone that gets missed. I'm just relieved it was people as strong-willed as this."

"...Yeah."

The voices start to fade out, and I push myself to my limits, crying out inside my head, though my mouth won't move.

"You think I can move a gaming console in here?"

"Hana, that's not wise, but I guess..."

A large clack sounds and the voices end abruptly.

With nothing else to concentrate on, I turn my focus to myself.

I don't know whether I'm standing up, or sitting down, or lying down, or what. I try to move my right arm, much like I would in real life, but I feel no air resistance, instead what feels like a spider's web holding me back. My legs are the same. My mouth opens but no sound like the voices from before issues out, only hollow noises inside my mind. I feel like a tiny pinprick in a vast black field, a small bit of something amidst nothing. All I have to know myself is a jumble of thoughts.

Where am I? Who was that? Who were they talking about? Is it me? Am I in the coma? Is Ame okay? What happened after I got on the plane?

All these questions to plague me and no doctor to cure me. I settle for placing them on the proverbial back burner and falling asleep, hoping things will be better when I wake up.


	13. Chapter 13

Something has changed.

I can feel it, a stress that wasn't there before.

I still can't move anything, but something feels like it has moved, though I'm not present enough to know what.

I figure this must be what a coma feels like, or at least my coma. God, a coma? I couldn't have just fainted or something? They did say something about litres of blood, though, so I'm sort of doing the guesswork and being glad I'm alive.

A noise from outside, the clack I recognize from before. Small, padded sounds, much like footsteps, though not clearly so. A clatter and a sudden weight on...

My legs.

As if a light has turned on, and illuminated my legs, suddenly I can feel them, the sensation of external forces slowly coming back to me.

"You don't mind if I rest those there, do you?"

I beg myself to move my legs, but yet all I get is the same restrained feeling. I feel the weights shift around, and eventually leave, though the sensation of my legs just being there stays with me, thank God.

I hear a small beeping, erratic and punctuated, with smaller clicks and clacks throughout. I concentrate on my eyes, focus on what I know them to be, the eyelids, focus on the muscles, on pulling them back, so I can see.

Nothing.

Like iron shutters in front of my eyes, they thwart my efforts and bar me from seeing. I grunt in frustration, but still my body refuses to make the sound for me, instead I make it internally.

I listen until the noises stop and snoring begins. I decide it would also be a nice time for a nap.


	14. Chapter 14

The clack again. One I've heard so many times. Is it a latch? A hatch, a door? Or is it something else altogether?

I hear more voices. "It's time for our checkup."

"Hana, what are you doing here?"

A small voice comes from a different direction.

"I'm just keeping watch..." I hear a breathy yawn.

"Are you sure you want to be around for this?"

"...Yeah."

I feel a touch on my arm, and it flows back into my brain that I still have an arm. The feeling does not escape me, and I grab ahold of it, trying to turn it into a movement, anything, just a twitch.

Nothing, again.

I give up, and focus on the voices once more.

"...in the frontal cortex? Curious. Motor centers are also recieving signals."

"You mean he can hear us?"

"The area of the brain associated with language and speech just experienced a flurry of activity, so yes, I believe he can."

"Is he trying to move?"

"I don't know. For all intents and purposes, he isn't. We still don't have much knowledge of comas, Hana."

My other arm is suddenly displaced as I feel a warm grasp on my hand. "Listen, we're here for you. We'll get you out of there and back in here." A few quick pats on my chest brings it back to my attention, and with a start I realize I almost have a full picture of my body. All that's left of me to reveal is the head.

I feel as if the struggling is helping, as my body feels more responsive now, but it's still not enough. I've got to, I must, just a bit...

Move.

My entire being courses with the thought.

Move.

I strain all my muscles to produce even a tiny twitch.

Move!

They have to know I'm here!

One of the voices sighs. "Alright, that's it for today. Hana, you should get something to eat, too. Just those snacks of yours is not healthy."

The other groans. "All right, but I'm coming right back after."

The clack again. I'm starting to think it's my signal to fall asleep, and I do, no longer with the spirit in me to move.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the continued reading! It means so much to me. And again, don't be afraid to leave a review! Criticism is always constructive!**

* * *

It's the beeps and clicks again. They're rhythmic this time, almost as if there's a pattern.

I have decided. It's been quite a while since I first realized I was in a coma. I've slept maybe 10 times? I haven't kept exact count, but I've got to do something, anything, to get my head back.

If I can put it off balance, I might be able to get one of the voices to touch it.

That's harder than it looks. I push, and push, but my muscles seem to not want to respond to me. After what seems like eternity, I stop, and think. I've been trying to push, but could I pull?

I decide to try, and yank with all my mental might on the tendons in my neck, willing them to contract.

And it moves.

Ever so slightly, it moves.

My head tilts to the side, and everything in me shifts over, like an avalanche. I ride the wave for a bit until my head comes to rest on what could most likely be my shoulder. I yell with all my spirit. Yes! I've done it!

I hear an audio confirmation of my deeds. "What the heck? His-he's moved-!" I hear a clatter and her voice becomes more panicked. "Angela! Angela! Come here! He's moving!"

A short while and the clack resounds again. "Hana, what is all the fuss?"

"His head moved! I haven't touched him, I swear! He moved all on his own!"

"Hmm. I know I placed his head so it wouldn't simply tilt like that... Very well. If he is, then let's see if he continues."

What?

No, no, no. You're supposed to touch my head so I can know it exists. Come on. Don't do this to me.

I have to make it so that they need to touch my head. I need to cut off my own breathing. Risky, but I'll bite.

I rip downwards on my tendons, and I can feel my head slowly moving. Every muscle movement is an errand on its own, a chore. It finally comes to rest facing straight downwards, and I can feel my throat constricting already as it becomes hard to breathe.

Almost immediately, I feel a hand on my forehead pushing my head back, and at last my body is aware. I've been reminded of the locations, of the presence, of the feelings. I know what it's like to be in my own body now.

The voice speaks. "Can you hear me?"

I can't respond. I know the last step is opening my eyes, but that proves to be the hardest task of all. Even my eyes themselves won't move for anything I try.

Fortunately, I feel my eyelids pried open my a hand, soft and comforting. A flash of light illuminates the black expanse that is my mind, and I can't handle it all at once, so I see nothing.

"His pupils are dilating. He's awake. Hana, call head medic Konus."

"Y-Yes!" The clack again. I need a new name for that. I'll call it the door, yeah. If it isn't later, I'll correct myself.

I can start to make out shapes, though all the colors are still blurring together. It's a hand, an arm, a head, a body... A person. A woman, judging by the voice.

I struggle to make out who they are, but when they come into focus, they move away, dropping their hand from my forehead and shutting the doors to my eyes.

No! I want to yell at her. Come back! Open my eyes again! Don't torture me like this.

The door again. The second voice has returned. "I brought HM Konus, Angie."

A third voice, more deep and baroque, presents itself. "What do you need me to do, Doctor Ziegler?"

"Monitor his stats and tell me if any of them spike. Hana, I need you to hold his head up, and keep his eyes open. I'll run some tests on him to make sure he's alright."

My eyes open once again, and the light blinds me for the second time. A different set of colors bleeds together, though, and it's a welcome change.

An uncontrollable light shines into my left eye, and it hurts. Like a searing pain sort of hurt. I try to close my eyelid, to shut it out, but it's held open by an outside force. Then, as quickly as it came, it's gone, and in its place is the figure from before.

"He's responding to light well. Can you hear me in there?"

I want to scream. Yes! I can! Let me out!

"If you can, focus on moving your left hand. Your fingers, to be exact."

With that comment, she grabs it and lifts it up into my vision. I focus, concentrate, feel the tensions, and...

A twitch.

Oh, come on! I'm so close to being out and you give me that?!

"He's awake. For sure now. He's weak, but he's alive. Sit the bed up further, Hana."

My back compresses a bit more as I am forced into an upright position. I realize that I could fall over, if I tried. If I were to tilt my body to the right, when nobody's got their hands on me? Would shock work?

I'm presented with the opportunity almost immediately as the second voice's body removes their hands briefly to adjust themselves. With renewed strength, right as the woman also moves to the side, I clench all the muscles in my side and try to pitch myself off of the bed.

It works surprisingly well, and I find my head dangling off the edge of the bed, my equilibrium nearly off kilter so much that I could find myself on the floor. As I'm about to fall, however, the embodiment of the second voice catches my head inches before it hits ground.

Damn it! I was this close! I could have felt something!

She lifts me up, panic evident in her now obviously feminine voice. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Doc, he almost fell over!" She gives me a perfect view of her face, and close enough so I can make out features, but I still don't recognize her.

"Good reflexes, Hana! Quickly, get him back in the bed." Another pair of hands grabs me and puts me back in my place.

The first woman looks at me with concern, her head in front of mine. "Don't struggle, please. We need to determine if you're safe to move around yet."

In response, not to be thwarted, I push my head forwards and lightly hit hers, enough to cause a startle, but not enough for real damage. However, the impact feels real, nearly surreal. I anchor myself to it, savoring the feeling.

I contract my chest in and out as I breathe through my nose, not consciously, not willingly. I will my jaw to open, and to my surprise, it does. Man, I'm making good progress.

I push all the air in my lungs out through my lungs, but I'm greeted by a wheeze rather than anything else useful.

"Just stay still, please."

The first woman moves my arms and legs, poking and prodding them. I don't feel much, but what I do feel, I don't like. It's semi-painful, but she soon stops.

"Konus, what are the readings?"

The masculine voice sounds out. "The brain patterns are all over the place. It's like each move is a catastrophic effort. He is progressing, though, although his hippocampus is barely active. It seems to be damaged."

"Hmm."

The second woman, just an adolescent, speaks up. "What does that mean?"

"He has very little to no memory. We anticipated this when he lost that much blood, and his friends told us he had something like this before."

Friends?

Oh, yeah. Celica. Geoff. Nobu. Carla. Steven. Tomasz.

Ame.

I'm flooded with memories, the comms room, the pursuit, the maiden voyage of the Flight, and the fight afterwards.

I was shot. Wasn't I?

The man's voice rises in urgency. "Doctor Ziegler! He's spiking!"

The first woman grits her teeth. "Get me thirty milliliters of epine..."

Her voice gets further and further away, and I can't hear her soon enough. I decide that with all the work I've done, a little rest would be nice...


	16. Chapter 16

It's the beeping and clicking again.

My head hurts.

Ah, well.

Can I open my eyes now?

A quick test proves that yes, I can, but not well. Only half slits at first, I gradually pull them into a fully open state.

The second girl sits at the edge of the bed, what looks to be an open bag of chips and a bottle of some sort of liquid next to her, all illuminated by a screen on the wall, showing some sort of moving picture assembly- perhaps a game? My guess is confirmed by the controller in her hand as she leans over to grab her drink, taking a quick swig before looking at me, her body casting a shadow over mine. "You awake yet?"

I pull my head forwards, and it goes as I wish, but I can't yank it back up, so I sit there, hanging my head as she gasps. "Holy crap, you are!" She rushes to my side to reposition my head so I can see her again, and now she notices that my eyes are open. A warm, compassionate smile plays at her features, and I almost see tears well up, but her voice pulls me away from that.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. How're you feeling?"

I manage to open my mouth with much effort, but for the life of me cannot seem to make a coherent sound come out, so instead I close it. Damn it! I instead turn my attention to my hand, which rests next to hers. I lift my index finger, and let it fall on the back of her hand.

She looks startled for a moment, but understands. "Oh, I see! One tap for yes, two taps for no. Are you feeling better?"

I tap her hand once, and she smiles cutely. "That's good to hear. Do you know who I am?"

I tap her finger twice, the strain starting to weigh down not on my body but on my mind. She frowns. "Hmm, okay. Are you hungry or thirsty?"

I think to myself about the state of my being, and then tap once. She lights up at my response. "Hungry?" I tap twice, and she nods."Thirsty then. I'll get you some water."

She jumps up and runs out of the room, and I finally see the source of the clack to know that it is, in fact, a door. She returns not too much later with a small paper cup filled with water. "Here, I got you some water."

She presses a button on the side of the bed, and I tilt backwards just a bit. She opens my mouth, and pours a tiny bit in. "Don't choke on this, or I'll be killed for it. Just focus on swallowing."

I shut my mouth and swallow it, and move my arm laboriously to tap her hand once. She responds by pouring another small bit in, which I swallow greedily, tapping her again.

She laughs. "Pushy, aren't you? Don't say I didn't warn you." She pours the rest in, all of which I imbibe. When it's empty, she places it on the bedside table and sits there for a moment, apparently lost in thought.

My throat feels beautifully smooth, cooled by the refreshing water, and it comes upon me that I should try to speak again. I think for a moment about what I want to say, and then settle on a simple sentence.

My mouth opens, and my vocal chords, now fresh and ready, expand and dilate in a croaky fashion, making my first words sound like a cement mixer grew a mouth and spoke. Nevertheless, I hear them loud and clear through my own ears, and this cements them as being real, to me at least.

"How... is Ame?"

She looks up with a start, her face fully surprised as she tries to collect herself, to search for words. "I-uh-who... who's Ame?"

"My... friend."

I can't manage to pump out more than a few words at a time, but it gets the idea across nonetheless. "Oh! The woman that was with you? She's in the same condition you were in a while ago, although she's stable."

A coma. Damn it. I hoped Ame would be better, would be up and about, but something deep inside me knew she'd be bedridden too. I don't think my lack of muscle movement hides my expression, because the girl in front of me tries to console me. "It's alright. We've got great doctors here. I'm sure they can nurse her back to health."

I close my eyes for a moment, feeling tears well up. All the emotion of before hits me at once, and I struggle to keep my composure.

"...Do you want me to go?"

I open my eyes to see her, already moving towards the door, a melancholy mood over her now as it is over me. As she's about to go, I call weakly. "...No."

She stops, and looks back in at me. "You want me to stay?"

Instead of speaking, I tap my finger lightly on the bedsheets, and she gets the message. "Okay!" She bounces back in, now joyous, or at least putting on a good show. "What do you want me to do?"

I look around for a moment before my eyes end up on her game, stuck on a pause screen. "...That." I croak, and she follows my line of sight.

"You want to watch me play games?" She looks at me quizzically, and I tap my finger once in agreement. "Okay, alright then." She hops onto the edge of the bed and snatches up her controller, moving her fingers every which way as the game unpauses and she resumes what I see to be her beating the literal pixels out of everything on screen in a frenzy of buttonmashing and trash talking.

She's remarkably animated, yelling triumphantly when she gets a particularly large enemy to die or spitting threats and cursing when she gets hit. Eventually, she dies, and "GAME OVER" flashes on-screen as she sighs, putting down the controller. "Wow. that was intense." She looks behind her and locks eyes with me, seeming to ask "one more round?" with her eyes. I lift my finger and let it fall again, and she grabs the controller back up, starting anew with renewed fervor.

As she plays, I start to get tired. Surely she won't mind if I take a slight nap...


	17. Chapter 17

I wake to an empty room. Unsurprisingly, the empty chip bags and bottles have multiplied and are now overflowing out of the garbage can, as well as populating the edge of the bed, and the visitors' chair in the corner. However, their summoner has left, evidently to get some sleep.

There isn't a window in the room, so I don't know if it's day or night, though it doesn't bother me. I simply sit and think to myself.

What am I going to do when I have full mobility? It's not like I have anything to go back to, now. Do I even want to go back? If I have the chance, do I want to know who I was before this head injury?

I don't have time to mull over it longer, because the door opens and a doctor walks in, the woman from before. Her pristine white lab coat hangs down to her calves, and her shoes make a satisfying clicking noise as she steps into the room.

"Mein Gott, look at the state of this place. Hana has some explaining to do."

I chuckle weakly. "Got that... right."

She jumps, and look at me in shock. "You're... awake." She puts a hand to her chest and breathes in and out a couple of times. "I thought you would be asleep."

She moves around the bed to come to my side. "Are you feeling alright? Everything as it should be?"

I nod on reflex, but manage to bring my head back up to its original spot this time, with a considerable effort. I'm getting stronger... That's good.

"We should start getting you on real food, not a nutrient drip. Is there anything you want to eat or drink?"

I nod. "Water, if... you please." She nods, and leaves briskly, coming back with another paper cup full of water. She sets it down on the table beside my bed.

I try to reach for it, but my shoulder just doesn't want to hold my arm up for more than a passing moment and I simply move it over on the bed a bit.

The doctor gasps. "Oh, I'm sorry! That's your injured shoulder. I'll help you."

She grabs it and lifts it up to my mouth, and I take sips as I contemplate this. I've injured my shoulder? I knew it hurt when I took the Omnic's head clean off, but I didn't know I injured it. It worked fine while I was doing the turret maneuvering. Must have been adrenaline.

I finish, and she sets the empty cup back down. "Let me check your vitals, and then we'll see if we can get someone in here to clear up your situation."

I must look as confused as I feel, because she clarifies. "Your legal and paralegal situation, not physical. Where you will go once you're discharged, et cetera?"

I nod. "Thanks, doc." My speech feels smoother now, and I judge it's because of the water.

"Call me Angela." She smiles angelically, and spends another moment looking at some screens off to the side before picking up some of the trash on the bed with her thumb and forefinger, sighing. "I'll be back presently."

She leaves, the door opening and shutting. I lay alone again, though this time I feel a bit more comforted.


	18. Chapter 18

I awake to a rustling sound, and find the girl from before readjusting herself in the visitor's chair, holding a handheld gaming device. She's got her tongue sticking halfway out the side of her mouth, and her forehead is scrunched up. She looks so comical that I can't help but chuckling, causing her to look up and smile.

"Hey, you're awake! Merc- I mean, Angela- told me you'd gotten better at speaking, so I came back. I thought I should introduce myself!" She sticks out her hand for a handshake. "I'm Hana!"

I reach up, and this time manage to grip her hand enough for a couple of shakes before letting go. "Ryuo. Pleased to meet you."

She laughs. "You're making a speedy recovery! That's good. It's not every day someone wakes up from a coma this well."

This reminds me of Ame, and I contemplate asking about her for the moment, but push the thought out of my head. I can already guess the answer.

She notices my shift in emotions, and decides to say something. "You thinking about your friend?"

I nod. "I just hope she's okay."

"If she's as strong as you, she'll be up and about in no time. Don't worry," the girl in front of me asserts, "Angela's one of the best, if not the best."

"I don't doubt it." I quickly try to change the subject. "So where are we right now?"

She looks at the ground, crestfallen. "I... can't tell you. I'm not supposed to say until Commander Morrison gets here."

"Morrison? The guy that picked me up?"

"Yeah, him. I can call him and see if he has free time, if you like?" She pulls out a communicator and dials a number before I can refuse. "Hiya, Commander!"

I can hear his gruff voice resound over the other end. "Diva. What is it now?"

She grins bashfully and scratches the back of her head. "I'm with the guy we brought back from Russia, and he says he'd like to talk to you. Do you have any free time?"

He sighs. "I'm in the middle of doing a briefing. I'll arrive when I'm finished."

Her look of shock says it all as he disconnects and the communicator beeps. "Oh, shoot. I'm in for an earful."

I grin. "Sounds like it isn't the first time."

"You're smart," she laughs, "and yeah, it's not the first time. There's always a rule I seem to be breaking."

The door opens, and in walks Angela. "Hana! There you are."

Hana opens her mouth, but Angela starts before she can. "Do you realize the size of the mess you left in here yesterday night? There are chip fragments in the carpet and I had it stay clean for weeks!"

She moans. "Not in front of the guy-"

Angela has no intention of stopping. "I ought to have you thrown out! Over ten liters of soda and five pounds of chips consumed, and you left the trash strewn about the room like a tornado!"

I cough. "It didn't look that bad. More like a stampede."

Angela turns to me, and I can see she's starting to lighten up, although her voice stays the same. "To what size stampede are you referring? Because nothing less than a thousand elephants could have caused that level of disorder."

Hana groans. "Please, stop... I was planning to clean it up when I got back."

I nod. "And you didn't come back for a whole day. Very cheeky."

She looks at me, aghast. "Don't you turn against me too!"

I shrug. "It was pretty messy."

She looks crestfallen, and I laugh. Angela joins in, unable to hide her mirth any longer, just like me. She wipes a tear from her eye as she looks at Hana. "Relax, Hana. I am angry, but I've already got you down for chores for the next month, so my thirst for revenge is quenched."

The smaller girl's jaw drops. "A month?! That's a death sentence! What if I inhale too much bleach fumes and die?"

We shake our heads at her theatrics, and she pouts. "You guys suck."

As she plops herself back down on the chair dejectedly, the door opens again and a man walks in, tall in stature and authoritative in posture, with white hair and numerous scars along his face. I assume it's the Commander, from what I remember. He greets both of the women with curt nods, and then turns to me.

"I understand you wanted to talk to me."

His gruff tone, once again gracing my ears, is strangely both comforting and unnerving. It reminds me of your stereotypical tough-love dad. I shake my head. "I just had a few questions to ask, and a few things to say."

He nods, as if to prompt me on, and crosses his arms. His mouth hasn't moved from a slight downward curl this entire time, and I wonder if he really is the tough-love type. "Firstly, thank you."

He blinks once, and then grunts. I continue. "You saved not only me, but my friends as well, and you made sure we got medical attention. I'm really grateful."

He looks at my eyes, as if scouring them for sincerity, and turns them away, apparently having found what he was looking for. "Just doing my job."

"Also, I'd like to formally introduce myself. I know the circumstances in which we met weren't the prettiest, but I hope my second impression lasts longer than my first. I'm Ryuo, and it's an honor to meet you, sir." I sit forwards, and extend my hand.

He grabs it and shakes it. "Commander Morrison. You had questions?"

"Yes." I notice he's got a 'get-to-the-point' attitude, so I cut to the chase. "I was wondering what happened to the rest of my friends. I know Ame is-"

"Being treated, yes. The others have all gone back to their respective countries, except for one. A Japanese man, who says he'd rather stay here than go home. He wants to see you as soon as you're up."

"Nobu. He can come see me anytime, can't he?"

Angela cuts in. "I'll notify him soon. For now, we need to focus on your recovery."

The commander joins back in. "Now, if you don't mind, I have some questions for you. Do you know where you are?"

I shake my head, careful not to turn too hard. "No. I have the feeling I'm not in Russia anymore."

"You're in an Overwatch Watchpoint, in Gibraltar. For the time being, Overwatch is using it as our home base."

I nod slowly. "I understand."

He tilts his head slightly. "Understand what?"

"I don't know what I have to offer in return." I try to sit up more, pushing on the bed with my palms, but my shoulder stops me, and I end up settling for straightening up. "I know this isn't exactly free medicare. I know I'm probably a drain on your resources. I don't know what I can do to help, though."

He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You damn kids are too perceptive, and too dumb." He turns to the doctor, and whispers something in her ear.

She looks at him in a stern fashion, putting her hands on her hips. "That is not safe and you know if. He just woke up from a coma, Jack. You're expecting too much of him."

He and I both shake our heads simultaneously, but I'm the first to speak. "Angela, you underestimate me. I'll be ready to walk in a day or two, just watch."

Morrison turns to me. "At least you've got spirit. Angela?"

She huffs, and turns on her heel. "Mark my words, Jack, mark them clearly." She walks out the door, only to come back in about a minute with a high-tech looking wheelchair. "Ryuo, could you possibly transfer yourself into this chair?"

I nod. "I might need a bit of support just in case." She nods, and wheels it over to where I just need to lift myself up and over a bit. I manage to scoot over, and she holds the chair steady while I grasp the arms, steeling myself. I push up with my legs, and manage to transfer without much issue, sliding my torso in first and moving my legs gingerly afterwards.

Once I'm fully situated, the commander turns to Hana, who is sitting on the chair, watching us all from behind her game. "Miss Song? Can you push him around?"

She nods, jumping up. "Yep!" She scoots around to behind my chair, and I start to move. Without a word, Morrison leaves out the door, Angela by my side and Hana behind me as we follow him.

We take a few twists and turns through white corridors lined with what I imagine must be more medical rooms before stopping at one with a single name in the plate next to the door. I glance over it, and find that it has Ame's full name on it, though the last name barely makes sense to me as my angle is not a good one to read from. Angela opens the door, and I am ushered in to see her for the first time since I've woken up.

She's a sorry mess, and a passable excuse for a cyborg, with countless tubes and wires and what-have-yous sticking out of her body. At least seven screens flash and beep in their own rhythmical ways, and a mask fits snugly over her mouth. Her eyes seem peacefully closed. In a trash bin off to the side I see numerous bloody bandages stuffed in, some peeking out over the plastic lid.

I suck in an astonished breath. "Christus Domine. Ame, what happened to you?"

Angela taps a screen, and a comprehensive diagram of her body pops up, several red dots flashing in various spots. "She's got a ruptured lung, some of her internal organs are damaged, she's broken her arm, and her spine is fractured in two places. It's a wonder she's alive with all the damage, and the ludicrous amount of blood she's lost."

I let my eyes come to rest on the floor. "What do I have to do?"

Jack leaves without another word, again, and Hana is forced to rush a bit to keep up with him. Angela stays behind to fiddle with a couple of things, a mournful look on her face. Before I leave earshot, she calls out to me. "I'm sorry you had to see her like this, Ryuo."

I shake my head. "I'm happy I got to see her alive and not being lowered into a hole in the ground. Thank you, Angela."

She looks at me with tears forming in her eyes as we finally leave the room. Walking down a long hallway, I watch the walls slowly change from a pristine white into a gunmetal grey. the commander stops in front of a pair of doors. "Ryuo." He struggles a bit with my name, but continues anyways. "What you're about to see is something only shown to the best of the best. Let it sink in."

With that, he opens the doors, and I am greeted by a majestic sight. An area as large as an aircraft hangar- no, it probably is one- is presented to me, with large benches and tables littering the room. Walls are interspersed at random intervals, and it is filled- to the brim, no less- with people. Most of them wear heavy coveralls with grease smears and small tears, tools tucked into every pocket and some even dangling off of belt loops or behind ears. A select few, however, stand out from the rest, and they catch my eye. Each with a distinctive outfit, none like the others, moving around, some carrying expensive-looking tech, and others with cantankerous machinery.

Jack walks in briskly, and Hana pushes me along while I stare at the new sights in a stupor. "This is the mechanics bay," says Jack, "where Overwatch makes everything they need that involves lugnuts or armor plating."

I manage to mumble a coherent sentence. "Where do I sign?"

Hana laughs. "You're a real piece of work. Pick your jaw up off the floor."

As we walk through, most of them greet us with salutes, directed at Morrison, waves, directed at Hana, or covert glances and whispers, no doubt about me. A select few come up and make conversation, quickly talking to the commander about certain things before scurrying off. He opens his mouth and addresses me. "Look over there."

I watch him point his arm, and follow its trajectory to see the rudimentary suit I'd made, standing up, engineers buzzing around it like bees, poking it and prodding it. As I watch, one of them takes out a wrench and moves towards it.

I yell, not thinking. "Hey!" The mechanics look up, not just the ones around my suit but most of the rest of them. I guess I yelled a bit too loudly. "Don't disassemble that. It's important."

The engineer mumbles something, and I grip the wheels of the wheelchair, pushing down to move forwards, towards where they've displayed my handiwork. When I'm within earshot, he restates himself. He's a fairly large man, looking to be about mid-thirties, with broad shoulders and a good amount of muscle. "I said I was just examining it."

I shake my head. "Excuse my rudeness, but I need that. I'd be happy to discuss how it's been constructed with you instead, if that helps."

His face lights up. "That can do. I'm wondering why you've placed so many hydraulic bits near the legs without any wiring to control them, or to reroute the water for that matter."

I point to the shock absorbers next to them. "See how those are slightly longer than the hydraulics?" He nods. "I made it this way so that the shock absorbers would take the brunt of it, and if it needed to, the hydraulics would burst to provide impact mitigation. It's only single use, but there was a lot more hydraulics than shocks, so I had to improvise a bit. I've undermined the structural integrity here so that they'd rupture outwards..."

As I continue to explain, and answer questions, pointing to various design flaws and reasoning with him, I find myself enjoying it quite a bit. Simply talking to these people about my work has gotten me fired up with inspiration. As I answer his final question, and he takes his leave, I remember that I came with people, and I turn my head to notice Hana and Jack simply staring at me, Jack with his arms crossed and Hana smiling at me.

I rub the back of my head bashfully. "Sorry, I got carried away."

Hana laughs. "You could say that again. At least you've got a lot of energy now."

"So, what do you think of this place?" Jack grunts, uncrossing his arms to gesture at the space around him.

I chuckle. "It's like Heaven on Earth. I love it... As I said before, where do I sign?"

Jack chuckles, and I actually sense some mirth behind it. "You kids. Always straight to the point." He walks up and leans against a desk, looking me in the eye. "This isn't an opportunity everyone gets, and so I'll only ask once. We here at Overwatch are interested in having you on the team. Would you like to join, provided everything we need to do goes well?"

I nod, and then catch myself. "What do you need to do? No genetic experimentation, I hope."

He looks away, and mutters to himself. "Not anymore." He catches himself, and looks back to me. "No. We just need some background checks done and a few contracts signed. Bureaucracy and all the like."

I smile, and nod enthusiastically. "Absolutely! I'd love to! Thank you so much, Commander Morrison."

He turns around, and looks up at a distant clock. "It's nearly time for dinner. Miss Song, can you escort him back to his room? I have some more business to attend to."

He doesn't wait for an answer, instead leaving on his own, disappearing behind a wall soon enough. I feel Hana grab the handles on the back of the chair, and start to wheel me out. After a while of traveling in silence, she speaks.

"I've never seen him so... Ready, to accept someone into Overwatch, that is. You must have really impressed him."

"I don't know what I did. All I know is that he's given me a chance of a lifetime. I'd better not blow it."

She playfully bats at my shoulder as we turn into the hospital section again. "From what I've seen, you'll fit right in. Just mind the fine print," she adds jokingly, "I signed up for a week of toilet cleaning on accident because I forgot to read it clearly."

I gasp. "Capital punishment here, I'd assume, given that the amount of people in that room alone are enough to warrant twenty bathrooms."

She laughs. "You won't have any troubles. Just focus on recovering, and it'll work out! I'll come visit you when I can."

I nod. "You aren't a mechanic. A technician, maybe?" I try to further guess her role in the base, but she shuts me down every time.

"Nope again!" She laughs as we approach my door, at the end of a hallway. "I'll just tell you. I pilot a MEKA."

"A mecha? You mean, like a giant walking robot?"

"Yep!"

I turn my head and body to stare at her incredulously. "I've heard some dadgum bullhonky in my sixty-some-odd days, but that takes the cake, 'Miss Song'."

She whips out her phone and quickly swipes around on it, still laughing, turning it around to show me a picture of her lounging on top of what must be a war machine, painted vibrant colors, as she makes a peace sign and a cutesy face.

I gape. "Man, what do I have to do to get one of those?"

She continues laughing, holding her gut as she doubles over. "Once you're the world's best StarCraft II player, come see me and I'll work something out for you."

The door opens, and Angela nearly trips over us as she walks out. "Oh! Mein Gott, you scared me. Do come in. I need to run some tests."

Hana finishes laughing and composes herself, waving goodbye as she walks away, a smile still pulling at the edges of her mouth. "See you later, Ryuo."

I wave back weakly, feeling the fatigue from all my movement today start to set in. "Yeah! See you later."

Once the cheerful girl's out of sight, Angela wheels me back in and helps me back into the bed. I manage to place a bit of weight on my legs and stand for a moment before tossing myself on the bed to relieve the pain from my legs. I groan tiredly. "Do I have to be awake for these tests, doc? I'm bushed."

She smiles. "You go to sleep then. I won't wake you."

I close my eyes, and gratefully oblige.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:**

 **Thank you all so much for 1000 views! I'm glad this is doing well. I've got no plans to stop anytime soon, so please continue to support me!**

 **As always, reviews and comments are greatly appreciated!**

* * *

I stir, and open my eyes to an empty room.

Huh, I guess I've been getting spoiled. A top-notch doctor and the pilot of a robot behemoth keeping me company. Emptiness is a remarkable downgrade.

I notice the wheelchair next to the bed, left where it sat when I got out. An idea forms in my head, and I check myself to make sure I'm feeling good. When I'm sure that none of my limbs are about to fall off, I lift the covers and shift into a sitting position before standing up. Wobbling slightly, I teeter towards the chair, and plop into it with a feeling of satisfaction spreading throughout me.

Grabbing the wheels and slowly turning them, I find myself moving at a slow speed, though I feel I can keep it up for days on end. For some reason, I've been feeling like I could take on the world the past few days. What could account for such a speedy recovery?

As I roll down the halls, pondering to myself everything that's happened these past few days, I take note of where I'm headed. I remember the turns, and take them slowly, passing by a few people scuttling too quickly to take note of me.

I reach a fork in the road, a T-shaped intersection. Unluckily, I cannot for the life of me remember whether to turn left or right to get to the mechanics bay. I peer down both, and shrug, taking the path on the right. I figure to myself, if it's not the right path, then I'll have chosen wrong, which means I took the left path after all, because it's not right.

I have myself a chuckle as the walls become the gunmetal grey I remember. However, I take a series of turns that do not sit well with me, eventually depositing me in a hallway filled on either side with doors. I notice that there are little tags on them, and I inspect them closely as I wheel slowly by.

"L. Oxton"

This one has little British flags adorning it every which way, and I find it both cute and patriotic.

"H. Shimada"

This nameplate is pristine, but I notice some curious holes in the wall next to it. I decide I'd rather not investigate, and continue on.

"S. Vaswani"

This one is a bit different from the rest, made out of something that the others aren't, a light blue scaffolding type of thing while the rest are polished brass.

"Winston"

Curious. This one has no first name, or no last name. A small smear of what appears to be peanut butter is on the wall next to it, and I continue on, a bit amused.

As I near the end of the hall, it turns to the left and the right, and I notice more and more doors. I must have made it to the barracks. I doubt I'm going to find one of the about four I know well enough to talk to, so I retrace my steps, or rather wheels, and find myself even more lost than before.

A long hallway stretches before me, ending in double doors. I push myself down the length of it, wondering all the while why such a long hallway is needed. Cracking open one of the doors, I look inside.

A robot is floating inside a room full of what seems to be Japanese-style tatami mats with a carefully cultivated zen garden in the corner, its stones raked into fine patterns. The robot itself floats above a small pillow, its legs crossed and its hands in a pose reminiscent of traditional meditation. It wears nothing but baggy pants and a curious array of floating orbs around its neck.

I see another behind it, though this one sits on the ground, and has no clothing, though I doubt robots have need for it. It sports two scabbards on its back, one long and one short. A scarf-like bit of fabric trails down past its neck and down its back as it sits in a meditative pose.

I crack the door open a little too wide, and the eyes of the robot with the swords light up- more of a slit across its face than eyes, really- as it whips its arm towards me in a blur of metal. Three heavy metal shuriken slam into the wall beside my head, one after the other in rapid succession. I don't make a noise, but simply stay still, hoping it finds it in its fancy not to kill me.

A sound issues from the floating one, though it moves no mouth to produce it, nor I think has a mouth. "Genji. Calm yourself. You must master that which is inside before you can hope to master that which is outside."

The one that threw the weapons at me makes a sighing noise, and I see its chest rise and fall. This leads me to believe that it might be human inside, but I place that thought behind me and pay attention. "Yes, master." It returns to its previous pose as if nothing had ever happened.

"Greetings. I am Zenyatta. I'm afraid I don't know your name, nor your face. Are you perhaps lost?"

I realize the floaty one is talking to me, and snap to attention. "Oh! Ah, yeah. I'm Ryuo. Super new. Looking for the mechanics bay?"

I would swear my left leg on the fact that the robot chuckled, but I don't think robots can chuckle. Nevertheless, it makes a sound akin to a laugh and continues. "You are on the wrong side of the complex, my wayward friend. You need only head directly away from here."

I open the door a bit wider and wheel cautiously in, each and every one of my movements making a slight noise that disturbs the tranquility of the environment. "Actually, do you mind if I stay here for a while? I want to observe this... atmosphere."

The robot nods, and resumes its meditation. "As you wish."

I watch its posture, and note the posture of the one next to it, and then decide to mimic it, slipping out of my wheelchair and taking a spot on the tatami mats facing them. I fold my legs, and watch the slow rise and fall of the chest of the scarfed robot. I try to emulate what I see, slowing my breathing and my movements.

I sit there, simpy locking my eyes on the two robots opposite me, and mimicking their movements, or lack thereof. I soon begin to feel restless, as some part of me wants to move around, to do something, to have a solid hunk of machinery in my hands and work-

I realize my breathing has quickened, and I slow it back down. I concentrate on holding myself still, but soon find that proves useless.

The first robot speaks- although I have a hard time calling it speaking- again. "Instead of focusing on staying still, focus instead on your mind. Leave all thoughts of your body behind."

I chuckle, unfolding my legs and standing up, getting back in the wheelchair as my legs already start to protest. "Sorry, I'm gonna need more practice, and it looks like I'm disturbing you more than anything else. I'll leave you to it. Thanks for having me."

They both nod, the swordsman- swordsrobot?- taking a bit longer than its master. I open the door and wheel myself away down the long hallway, feeling energized. I move a bit faster and take a few turns I haven't before.

I find myself enjoying the simple act of exploring, like a small child in the forest. New hallways give way to new aesthetics, and I find myself in a section where the walls look nothing like the clean white of the hospital section nor like the dark grey of the mechanics bay area. It's primarily a blueish hue, light, but with dark blue spots here and there. I like it, and as I wander, I get the feeling there's more and more bustle, although I don't see anyone in the hallways. I decide to take another turn into a doorway, and find myself in a vast laboratory, people in lab coats running everywhere with various things in their arms or people in tow. As I watch, I realize that chemistry's not my thing, so I continue on my way.

The walls eventually turn to a familiar greyscale again, and I find another set of doors inlaid at the end of a hallway. I wheel myself to the end, and open them up.

A large, expansive cafeteria-styled area sits before me, with many a person sitting at a table with a group around them, excited chatter filling the room. As I wheel myself in and down the outer edge, I notice one man, remarkably large and muscular, sitting at a table with many others gathered around him, a hearty German accented voice ringing true.

"Alright!" He bellows merrily, a smile plastered on his face, "I will tell you the story of the rescue mission in Russia."

Russia? This piques my interest, and I wheel ever so slightly closer as he continues.

"We were in the area, helping fight back the Omnics, when we got a radio transmission from a woman. She claimed she had a group of survivors held up in area lost to the Omnics, and that they needed evacuation. The commander grabbed whom he could, one of those brave souls being me, and we piled onto a plane to get to them.

"We touched down in a schoolyard field not too far from their purported location, but we were only met with a sad group of people. We asked where their leader was, and they all told us she was stuck behind, battling the enemy. One of their own had gone off to bring her back. Just then, a radio crackled-" He pauses for effect, relishing the looks on the people's faces around him- "and we get word that their leader is downed, and that she and the scout sent to her are under heavy fire. We get the survivors into the plane and fly over to them, and what do I see?"

He mimics a stance I would have took, moving the rewired Omnic back and forth. "The scout has hacked an Omnic and is using it as a turret to fend off the enemies! As we begin to touch down, it explodes, and he places himself between his leader and an Omnic, ready to take a bullet for her."

He slams his hand down on the table, making everyone jump. "Bang! Ana puts a bullet through the Omnic before it can even think of shooting! She takes them out one by one, bang, bang, bang!" The audience is in his story fully now, breathing in the musky air of the battlefield, feeling the weight of bullets flying every which way. "I use my shield to block the onslaught of bullets, keeping Ana safe as she picks them off! It nearly broke, but she didn't fail to get every last one!"

He mimics pulling someone up into a plane, fully on his feet now. "We pull them up into the plane, but as we do, the scout does something valiant- He grabs his leader and pushes her up to us, taking three bullets to the back in the process!" The crowd gasps, and for a moment, I almost forget that I'm the one he's talking about. "We pull him up, and we fly away, both of them bleeding severely. Do you want to know what his last words were, before he lost consciousness?"

The crowd nods, making a bobbing effect throughout. Before he can jump back in to his story, though, I decide now would be the perfect to jump in. I make my voice as hoarse as it had felt at the time, pour the relief of safety and the promise of freedom into my speech, and breathe just as I had done.

"...At least Ame's okay..."

The entire crowd turns as one to look at me, as I am now right behind the large German man, the one from inside the suit of armor that day. He, too, turns to look at me, bewildered for a moment. I smile. "At least, if I said anything after that, I don't remember it."

The giant of a man laughs heartily. "None other than the man himself! Well enough to be out and about, I see!" He takes my hand in a crushing handshake and pumps it up and down with such force that the entire wheelchair shakes. "Well enough to eat with us, and share stories, I hope?"

I nod. "Food and company sounds about as good as it gets right now. Count me in." The audience cheers, some lifting drinks and others simple fists as I sit down next to the big man. He turns to me and guffaws. "I'm Reinhardt! You certainly have a fire in you, boy!"

I laugh. "I'm sure glad it's not a few bullets anymore!"

As someone brings by a large platter made for sharing, I lay my hands on a roll of bread and begin to chat with the people surrounding me.


	20. Chapter 20

As the chatter around me dies down and most of the people excuse themselves to head to bed, I look over at the massive man beside me, who is working on his sixth mug of ale. I yawn involuntarily, and rub my eyes. "I think it's time for me to head in, too. I don't want to stress my body by keeping it up later than I should."

He nods. "Good choice." He hoists the ale above his head and cheers. "One more toast to Ryuo and his bravery!" The rest of the crowd musters up a sizeable cheer and lifts whatever they're drinking, and I laugh. "Thanks, guys. I'll see you later, Reinhardt."

He nods, throwing his head back and downing the entire mug in one go, slamming the empty glass down on the table with gusto. He motions for another as I wheel myself away in the wheelchair, heading out the doors I came through. As I roll through the halls, I eventually find my way back to the hospital sector, and my room as well. The hallways are fairly empty, and I don't hear any noise, so I suspect I may have stayed out a bit too late.

Opening the door to my room, I wheel myself in to find none other than Jack Morrison sitting in the visitors' chair, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped under his chin, apparently pondering something. He looks at me as I roll towards the bed, and shakily stand up out of the wheelchair, saying nothing. I lay myself down in the bed, and look at him. "Evening."

He looks at me, and replies after a moment. "Evening. Any idea how long you've been gone?"

I nod. "The whole day. I've been exploring the complex, and now I know why they call it a 'complex'. I spent my entire day trying to find my way back here."

He nods. "I know. Our AI alerted us of your location throughout the day. What I want to know is when you were planning to tell us."

I shrug. "I was out looking for you in the first place, and/or the mechanics bay, whichever came first. I needed something to do, and I figured either was a good place to find one."

"What if we didn't know where you were? A patient, fresh out of a coma, just ups and leaves. What are we supposed to think?" He growls, looking at me from the sides of his eyes menacingly.

"First of all, I'm nearly better. I can almost walk without falling over, which is great for not having motor functions about two weeks ago, if I'm correct. Secondly, I doubt I could get into any real restricted areas, or outside the complex, without some sort of access pass. So I'm relegated to the normal areas. Thirdly, I'm sure you have base-wide comms, so you could have easily sent out a message and I would have gotten back as quickly as possible."

"That's not the point. My point is you didn't consult us first. While we would have instantly said yes, and provided you with a guide, you went off on your own and didn't think to notify us." He stand up, his posture now even more authoritative.

I nod. "I get what you're saying, and you're right, I wasn't really thinking. Sorry. I won't do it again- until I'm cleared to, that is." I grin, and he sighs.

"That's not what I'm here to talk to you about, though." He grabs a device off of the table next to him, and it turns on, the screen glowing a dull blue as he swipes a couple of times before looking back up at me. "We have to run a background check on everyone before they become a member of Overwatch. You're no different. Let me tell you what I found."

I hold my hand up. "Nothing doing."

"What?" He growls angrily, apparently not used to being interrupted.

I sit up from my formely lax posturing and look him in the eyes. "Look at me, Commander, if I'm allowed to call you that. Your own doctors confirmed I have no memory past when I woke up in Russia. Whoever I was before has barely any bearing on who I am now. I'm my own me now. I don't even know if the name I gave you is the one I had before."

"It isn't." He looks down at the device, and back to me.

"See? It's like being reincarnated. If reincarnation was a thing, you wouldn't run background checks on who I was before I was me, would you? It would be useless to figure out who I was before, because I'm not them anymore."

He holds up the device. "You do realize this information factors into my decision to keep you here. Your plea for me to disregard it could prevent me from keeping you here."

"True," I shrug, "but it could also allow you to keep me here. I don't know if that information is good or bad, but either way, I want you to go off of my track record, not the things I might have done before. Whatever that affects is a gamble I'm willing to take." I keep my eyes locked with his, in a steely staring contest.

He sighs, and tosses the device back on the table. "Fine, I'll go based off of your current track record. That means you're here provisionally until you're proven to be a valid member of the team. If at any time we're dissatisfied with you, we can- and will- boot you out. Understood?" He jabs a finger at me as he says this, his eyes unwavering.

"Just as I like it. Loud and clear, sir. I look forward to serving here." I nod, my expression hopefully as solid as my resolve.

He walks out of the room without another word, the door opening and closing. I hear his footstpe stop right outside the door, and another set comes up to about where his stopped. I hear voices faintly, and I strain to hear them.

"What happened, Jack?"

That reminds me of Angela. I wonder why she's talking to him?

"He didn't want to see his past. He told me to disregard it and simply go off of who he is now. Damn kids."

He sounds exasperated, nothing like he sounded in here.

"Doesn't he know that information would have secured him a place here? You would have snapped him up in a heartbeat, knowing all that!"

Oh. Well, I gambled and lost, but I'm not out of chips yet, apparently.

"That doesn't exist anymore. It's just what he does from here on out."

With that, the two sets of feet leave, and I can't hear their voices anymore. I decide that I'd better sleep, and ponder this in the morning.

Closing my eyes, I lay back down, setting my head on the pillow and breathing deeply. Maybe this is for the better...


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I'm finding it hard to keep my backlog updated and post on time, so I'm thinking I'll whittle it down to once a week or so. Thanks again!**

* * *

Having been sitting in my bed placidly for about an hour, or at least what feels like one, I'm finally greeted by the door opening and Angela walking in.

I greet her with a smile and a pleasant wave. "Hey, doc. How's life?"

She huffs. "Stressful, what with you leaving so abruptly. Do you have any idea how panicked I was?"

"No, I don't. I'm sorry, doc, I should have waited."

"That's right. I hope you won't pull something like that again." She busies herself with doing a routine check, and it goes quicker than usual.

As she finishes up, I speak a thought that's been on my mind for a while. "Hey, Angela, do you know the commander well? I heard you call him Jack, and I've only dared call him that in my head."

She hums and haws for a bit, no doubt thinking about how best to say it, but then starts. "Jack and I are old comrades. We served together, back when Overwatch was just getting started, and so you could say I know him well enough to do so."

The door opens, and none other than miss Hana Song walks in, or should I say bounces in. "Hi, Ryuo!" She cheerily greets me, plopping down in the visitors' chair. "What's up?"

"Oh, you know, just some routine tests, nothing much. What about you?"

"Well, I'm back from a mission in Italy, and let me tell you, it was exciting!" Without waiting for my reply, she animatedly launches into her storytelling, while Angela and I share a look of half exasperation and half resigned amusement.

"...and so I swooped in!" She mimics her position with her hand, pretending to fly through the air. "I knocked him right off the payload and into a bunch of boxes, and bam! Bam! Bam! I shot him a bunch! He disappeared before I could finish him off, though." She pouts a bit at this, but returns to her usual self in less than a second. "So yeah! It was fun!"

Angela seems to have finished up with her tests, and is looking to leave, but I stop her. "Hey, doc, while you're here, do you mind if I go for a walk? I'll take Hana as a guide, and I'll be back before curfew, I promise."

She looks at me with a puzzled expression. "We don't have a curfew." She clues in to my joke, however, and smiles, chuckling a bit. "Oh, okay. Make sure not to get into any trouble, though."

I nod, and swing my legs out of the bed, eager to try to walk around without the use of a wheelchair. I lift myself up, and my legs feel stronger than the last time I stood on them, as if I was in tip-top shape. I look at Hana, who is excitedly bouncing about. "Yessss! Let's go, Ryuo!" she exclaims, grabbing my arm and bounding out of the room with me in tow.

I manage to keep pace with her decided strides, and we walk briskly through the halls until we get to the mechanics bay again. She leads me among the bustling throng of people, eventually stopping near a giant war machine, painted... pink?

She points at it. "This is my MEKA! It's what I use when I fight!" As if to show me, she runs around the back and it drops into a crouched position, bending its knees and pointing its cabin at the ground. I watch her slip in and come to rest on her stomach, grabbing two joysticks and rearing the giant thing back up until it stands at its full height again. "Check it out!"

She showboats a bit- well, a bit is a gross understatement- and moves the mech around, making it punch the air, float above the ground, hop like a bunny, and even dance for a short while, before having it crouch down again so she can wiggle out the back. She runs around it and comes back to me. "What do you think?"

I have been staring this entire time, in wonder of the technological feat, and also in wonder of the fact that this girl, who is barely an adult, has been given full reign over it. I quickly snap out of it and voice my thoughts. "It's awesome! How does it work?"

I'm interrupted by a voice from behind me. "You might just get the chance to find out." I turn to look at Jack Morrison, again conveniently behind me at the best possible time.

I gawk at him. "How are you always everywhere exactly when you need to be? That was seamless integration into the conversation. Your 'base-wide AI' can't be that good."

He smiles a bit. "It is. It was developed by one of the best here. Anyways, I came to tell you what you'll be doing." He hands me a stack of paper, which I take and rifle through absentmindedly while Hana looks over my shoulder.

The commander continues as I examine what he's given me. "Five of our top agents have requested an extra mechanic and/or technician as of late, to help them with their work. I figured I'd let you choose, since they'd all be happy to have you."

I notice that each paper is on a certain person, with five in total. I peruse them, but look back to Jack soon enough. "Who are they, and what do they want me to do?"

He points to each person as he explains their research to me. "The first one you know already. It's Hana, behind you. Her team needs another general repair mechanic because she's constantly getting her MEKA damaged, or even completely destroyed." I can sense a barb in these words, and I sneak a glance at Hana, who is rubbing the back of her head and examining the air ventilation on the ceiling.

He continues as if nothing had ever taken place. "The next is one Satya Vaswani, a hard-light architect. She's one of the best in the world, and the Vishkar Corporation has her as one of its highest ranking members simply because of her skill alone. She needs someone to help manufacture and design new technologies. This is the first time she's asked for help, so I can only assume it's something big." He points to a regal-looking Middle-Eastern woman, who is busy apparently generating things out of thin air by her lonesome. The look on her face tells me she's no-nonsense and down to earth.

"The next is our resident Head Mechanic, Torbjorn. He needs more hands on deck repairing all the vehicles and devices every agent uses, like the plane we picked you up in." He points in a direction, and I follow his finger, seeing nobody that stands out amongst the gaggle of people. However, I realize why shortly, as a man walks out from amongst the crowd, being only about four-foot-eight in stature, though still stocky, in some weird twist of fate. He sports a really cool mustache and a large smile to boot, and I think I might enjoy his company.

"After that is Winston. He's more into the technological rather than the mechanical, but he needs someone to help him with base maintenance and general work as well. He did most all of the work on the base-wide AI, Athena." He gestures to a tall man in a lab coat, who is chatting with what seems to be a gorilla in a curious spacesuit-like apparatus. The gorilla appears to be wearing glasses, but I chalk it up to me being tired and look back to the man beside it. He looks thin and wiry, almost as if he'd fall over if you blew on him hard enough, and has countless wires and other doohickeys scattered around his workspace.

"The last one is Efi Oladele, over there, and by extension, her construct Orisa. While Efi is a bona fide genius, she simply can't keep up with Orisa's repairs and manufacturing backup ammunition for her at the rate they're going. She wanted someone to help with making sure Orisa doesn't run out of shields or superchargers while in the field." This 'Efi' is a small child, who doesn't look to be older than 12, tinkering with a massive centaur-shaped robot, and chatting animatedly with it.

"I don't expect you to pick now," Jack says, bringing my attention back to him, "and you can spend a day or two with each of them, to figure out who you want to help. Just tell me when you've picked someone, and I'll assign you to their team officially."

I shift from one foot to the other. "Is it possible for me to work on my own project as well? Not saying I don't want to help these people, but I also have stuff I want to do."

"We can work something out, so long as it doesn't interfere with anything else. We'll see when you're all settled in." With that, he nods, and walks off, evidently to appear in some other place at the perfect time.

I turn to Hana, who is looking at me excitedly, with eyes as wide as dinner plates and a beaming smile on her face. "Who are you gonna pick, Ryuo?" He asks, obviously wanting to know now though I only know one of the people I have to pick from.

"I don't know, Hana. I have to meet these other people first. Who do you think I should talk to?"

She thinks for a moment. "Maybe Symmetra. She's not too keen on other people, so you may as well get her out of the way." Noticing my confusion as to who she's mentioned, she explains. "It's her callsign. When I say Symmetra, I mean Satya."

I nod, slowly getting it. "Does everyone have a callsign?"

She laughs. "Not everyone, silly. Only the top agents get callsigns. Mine is D. Va!"

"Diva? That's fitting."

She pouts. "Not Diva, D. Va. There's a difference! Most people call me by my callsign, not my real name, because it's easier that way."

"So I should call people by their callsigns?" I find it a bit weird, but try to adapt as Hana nods again. Looking over at the woman called Satya- Symmetra, dangit- I start to walk over to her.

She looks up as I approach, and her eyes narrow as she glances at me. I realize I'm still in sweatpants and a t-shirt from my time in the hospital, and haven't had the chance to change.

"What do you want?" She speaks as I draw near to her workbench. She turns back to whatever she was working on, ignoring me completely.

"My name's Ryuo, I was told you needed an assistant. Commander Morrison gave me a few options to pick from as for my work here, and you were one of them. I believe you're Satya? Or does Symmetra work better?"

She scowls at me, turning her head slightly to look at me disapprovingly. "Neither. I would prefer you left."

I'm taken aback by her frankness, but steel myself. I knew she was going to be like this. "I wouldn't. What you're doing here looks interesting, and since you've applied for help, I believe I can be of use to you."

She stands up, still looking at me like I'm inferior to her. It creates a vindictive sort of aura around her. "What do you know of my field? How could you possibly help me?"

"Nothing," I admit sheepishly, scratching the back of my head, "but I'm a quick learner. I think I could-"

She wheels on me, poking me in the chest while her voice remains icy cold. "I asked for professional help, not a child in street clothes. You would do best to leave, before I become aggravated."

I turn away, and look at Hana, who is rapidly motioning for me to come back to her, so I leave without another word. When I get to Hana, she's flustered. "Are you nuts? Do you know what happened to the last guy that pushed her that far?"

The look on my face evidently tells her I don't, and she whispers to me, her eyes darting around. "He couldn't walk for a week without her tripping him on some miniature hard-light cube or something. He broke his nose, and sprained both ankles."

I tilt my head. "I think I can get through to her. I need to talk to the head of department here, though."

"Well, that would be Winston, so let's go find him." She wanders in the direction I last saw him, and I spot him by his height. He's still talking to the gorilla, so I assume this man must be more than slightly insane, but the gorilla seems placid.

D. Va skips over and waves at the two of them. "Hi, Winston! Hey, Dave!"

The tall, lanky technologist scratches the back of his head shyly. "O-oh, hi, . H-how's everything going?"

She beams. "Great!"

I approach as well, and all three of them look at me expectantly, even the gorilla, which I'm a bit unnerved by. "I'm Ryuo, pleased to meet you." I don't know to offer a handshake to the man or the gorilla at this point, so I simply keep my hands to myself.

Thankfully, my indecision is remedied. "Ah, Ryuo. I'm Winston. Glad to meet you," the gorilla says, sticking his oversized hand out to shake mine.

Wait.

The gorilla?

I take another look at it, and it is, in fact, wearing glasses, and smiles in a simian way as it extends its hand for a handshake. I confusedly take it and shake, probably looking as astounded as I feel. "I hear you're the head scientist around here, then?"

It- he, I should say- laughs, holding his belly as he rears up to rival the tall guy beside him in height. "By far, you're the best reaction yet!" I look and see that Hana is laughing too, and she stops long enough to explain, holding her sides in mirth.

"Winston's..." Her pauses are punctuated by more giggling. "Winston's a genetically... modified gorilla from... Horizon Lunar Colony..."

The tall guy speaks up, if mumbling could be considered speaking up. "W-we never tell anyone because it's f-funny to watch their reactions."

I nod, the situation finally processing. "I see. Well, color me impressed." I start to smile, getting caught up in the humor of the situation. "You certainly had me thinking I was out of my mind for a moment there." I turn to the lanky one. "You must be Dave, then?"

He stammers, pushing thick circular glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Y-y-yeah. I'm Dave."

I make a mental note never to get caught alone with Dave, and turn back to Winston. "Hey, I've got a favor to ask of you."

He nods. "Ask away! Just don't ask for me to share my peanut butter, because that's not happening." He grabs a jar from seemingly nowhere- possibly the desk behind him- and dips two fingers in it, eating some with a satisfied look on his face.

"I need to know what field of work Satya Vaswani's involved in, and I need access to all the general research regarding that field."

Both Winston and D. Va gawk at me. Winston decides to speak first. "I'll get someone to get that ready for you." He speaks into a communicator. "Lola, can you bring me all the hard-light construction research we have on file?" A small burble constitutes a reply, apparently, because he places it back down.

Hana explodes. "You can't be serious! She just told you to 'F off' and you're going back?!"

I hold out my hands to placate her. "I've not chosen her yet, keep in mind. I want to know if she's even a valid choice at this point."

Winston coughs. "Symmetra's not know for being the most... cordial. She prefers to work alone, and does not like disturbances."

I shrug. "I was told I could work under her, so damned if I don't at least try."

Both Winston and sigh. "All right," Hana says, "Don't say we didn't warn you."

After a moment, a woman, looking to be in her early twenties, comes scurrying over with a device in her hands. "Winston!" She calls out as she approaches. "I've got the research here!" Winston takes it from her, and then she leaves to go back from whence she came. He hands it to me. "That's got everything you need to know on it."

I look around for a place to sit, and, spying an empty workbench, nod to Winston. "Thanks. I'm gonna go do some reading now, to try and edu-ma-cate myself." I maneuver over to the seat beside the bench, and sit down, starting to peruse the screen in front of me. I read, and swipe to bring up a new page, and read, and swipe, until it says I'm about halfway. I look up, and the lights seem to have dimmed, and the number of people diminished. I shrug, and continue reading. When I reach the end, the workshop is empty, save a select few still fastidiously working away at whatever project they have to do. I shut the device off, and look around for materials I can use to test out my new knowledge.

Locating some at another abandoned workstation, I tinker for a while, letting my hands flow as they usually do, putting each piece in its desired location and looking for others to fill in gaps. As it gets more and more complex, I feel the desire to finish it well up inside me, and I continue on with renewed vigor.


	22. Chapter 22

"What the hell is this?!"

I wake to a nice view of the top of a desk, and as I sit up, none other than Satya Vaswani looking at me angrily, her hands on her hips.

I rub my eyes. "Sorry, what? Just woke up."

She yells loudly. "You're sleeping on my workstation! And you've... What have you done?!"

I follow her gaze to one of my tinkerings from last night. "Oh, that? Sorry, I was trying to learn. I'll disassemble it right away."

Right as I'm about to lay my hands on it, she cries out. "Wait!" I stop stock still, still stretching to snatch the small device from the table. I look at her, confused, and she seems conflicted, though she speaks after a moment. "...Does it work?"

I nod. "I sure hope so, otherwise all of last night is moot." I flick a switch on the side, and it hums to life, creating a small orb of blue light between three small prongs adorning the top, which rotate to keep the orb stable.

She eyes it suspiciously. "You made this in one night?"

I shake my head. "I learned how to make it in one night. This thingy took me about thirty minutes, and half of that was to find the dang stuff."

She mutters to herself, and then coughs, looking away. I can't read her at all, and so I'm nervous, despite knowing she's not my only choice. I'd rather leave a good impression than a bad one, and I have a feeling she's about to drop a bomb.

Her voice wavers with hidden emotion, and she looks at me directly, something she hasn't done since we met. Her gaze is piercing, as if she can see down to my soul. "Tell me the truth. Why are you here?"

I shake my head. "I'm just here to help. I want this place to run as smoothly as possible, and my help here is part of that."

"...It seems I have underestimated you. While it is true I need an assistant, I need one that can keep up with me. Are you up for the task?" She shifts her gaze awkwardly from to the crowd, working on their own projects, to the workspace and then back to me.

I shrug. "I've got a few days to check if I am or not. Why not put me to the test?"

She gestures to the workbench, which I put into disarray in my studies from last night. "What a mess. Ugh." Wiping all the small parts and bits of wire I've left haphazardly lying around into a pile in the corner, she lays out a thin screen which lights up at her touch, showing plans for a large-scale device. "This is what I'm working on. If it's successful, it will be used to create temporary stable platforms for workers to use when working at heights."

I stare at it for a moment, intrigued. "So what's the holdup?"

"I have been unfruitful in finding a working arrangement for these in a way which would bear the stress in a stable, even way, and I cannot put them there for fear of overheating this..." She motions to various parts as she talks, and I soon find myself enamored with the act of planning, putting out new ideas, most of which she refutes immediately. I feel stupid, but occasionally she nods at my ideas, and has written a few of them down by the time I can't think of anything more.

As most of the people now in the room with us scatter outwards, presumably for lunch, Satya turns to leave, but stops after having only gone a few steps.

"...Ryuo." She says, her back turned to me. I'm half surprised she knows my name, and half not at all. She continues, not caring to look back at me. "I... apologize for my conduct when we met today, and for yesterday as well."

I look up, having not expected this from her of all people.

"I misjudged you, and for that, I'm sorry. I did not expect for you to go to such great lengths to be able to help me."

I shake my head, though she can't see it. "No, don't worry. I'm sure you've had your fair share of hacks trying to sidle up to you just because you're in the big leagues."

She falters in her speech. "...I will be back in precisely thirty minutes. We will resume then." She walks away, leaving me to figure out how to get to the cafeteria for lunch on my own.

I spot Winston leaving the mechanics bay, walking on his knuckles with a contented look on his face, no doubt thinking about having peanut butter or something of the like. I hurry to catch up with him, and soon I'm next to him. "Hey, champ. What's up?" I greet him, adding a small wave to which he replies with a nod.

"Ryuo. How is your time with Symmetra going? I noticed she seemed angry at you this morning, but you've come back unscathed, so I assume it's going well?"

I nod. "Yeah. I feel like she's a cool person, when you get to know her. She just takes a bit to trust you."

"That's most of us here at Overwatch. We're all friendly people- some call it a family here- but we need a bit before welcoming someone in. That being said, you and D. Va seem to be close already."

"Yeah," I reply, looking down the hallway, not knowing which way to turn. Winston steers me in the right direction, however, and soon I recognize where we are. "She was around when I was waking up from my coma. She was actually the first person I spoke to here. I don't know why she's seemed to attach herself to me, but I can only hope it's a friendship in the making."

Winston eyes me suspiciously, but turns his attention to the cafeteria, where I must assume half the building is already gathered. Massive groups of people sit at long tables, leaning over and chatting with those opposite them, a smile on nearly every face. I don't see Symmetra anywhere, and then realize that she left from a different exit than the rest of us.

"Maybe she eats lunch alone?" I muse to myself, unintentionally out loud.

Winston looks over at me as we arrive at the back of a line, people still filling in behind us. "Are you thinking about Symmetra?" I nod, and he continues. "She's very particular about her schedule, and she prefers to be alone more often than not, so she avoids the large lineups and large groups and eats by herself. I've never once seen her eat in this cafeteria, not since she started working with us here."

I'm about to speak, but a sudden gust of what seems like wind rushes past me from behind me, and nearly pushes me off my feet, the surprise alone almost upending me. As I stumble a bit, when I look up, a woman is standing next to Winston, her spiky hair garnering my attention first, pointing out every which way, adorned by what seem to be a pair of stylized goggles. She has an interesting apparatus on her chest, almost as if it was the power core of a robot; however, she is decidedly human. A garish outfit greets me, a leather jacket beneath the curious device and bright yellow tights- although I assume they're just tight-fitting pants. "Hiya, Winston!" She exclaims in a singsongy voice.

Winston seems unfazed by this whole ordeal, and simply greets her back with a stoic look on his face. "Hello, Lena. How are you?"

She bounces around on her feet cheerily, a smile plastered on her face. "I'm good! Did some more running today, and I played games with Lucio, and-"

Winston cuts her off sternly as the line continues to shuffle forwards slowly. "Did you finish the paperwork you had to do? The mission report that's over a week late?"

She looks up at the ceiling, an evasive look in her eyes and on her face, replacing the smile for a slight moment. "I, ah, don't know what you're talking about, Winston. I don't have anything to do."

He sighs, looking at her over his glasses. "Lena, you know you're already in hot water for not submitting them. If this one's any more late, you'll get more than just a stern warning."

She groans, looking at him with puppy-dog eyes and a pout on her face. "But Wiiiiiinston," she draws out his name, hitting at least three notes through the duration, "you know I don't have time for those." She emphasizes the word exaggeratedly, and I roll my eyes.

She notices, and zips upright, suddenly alert to my presence. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't notice you there! I'm Lena Oxton, but you can call me Tracer!" Her voice is noticeably British, and I remember the room from my wanderings with the flags plastered all over the nameplate.

A smile pops to my face involuntarily. "Hi, Lena. I'm Ryuo. Do you prefer Lena or Tracer?"

She chuckles. "Either or! Just nothing hurtful, if you please."

She tries to continue, but Winston stops her. "No budging in the line, Lena. It's not fair to those before you."

I chuckle. "Does she always need someone to mind her like you do?"

They both look at me simultaneously, Winston looking exasperated and Tracer shocked. "Yes." Winston sighs deflatedly, while Lena exclaims "No!" very loudly. They look at each other, and then Tracer chuckles. "Well, looks like I've gotta go! It was nice meeting ya!" With that, she seemingly disappears, zipping off, leaving only a trail of blue light behind her, probably some aftereffect of the device she wears.

I want to say something else to Winston, but we've reached the front of the line, and as I file through the options, I realize there's a lot more than cornbread and gruel, although I sort of expected it. People are leaving with plates piled high with spaghetti and garlic bread, bowls full of what looks to be a hearty chowder, or multiple club-style sandwiches stuffed full with meats and cheeses. I am no longer able to choose, and in my indecision, I find myself at the end of the line with a bit of everything on my plate, having apparently just nodded when asked if I wanted any.

Winston eyes my plate suspiciously, looking first at it and then at me. "You're a man of many tastes, it seems."

"No, just a man of questionable autopilot. I'm gonna head back to the mechanics bay and eat there, if possible. I don't want to be late for resuming work."

"Nobody's stopping you. Just make sure to bring your tray and other dishes back here when you're done." I start to walk off, and he waves with his long arm, a small grin on his face. I wave back, but soon he's out of view, and I'm finding my way back to the mechanics bay.

Finding the workbench I was at before, I sit down and start to eat. I notice I've used up only about 10 minutes in my journey, and I assume that by the time I'm finished eating I'll have 15 minutes remaining. As I eat, I wonder. What to do with 15 minutes?

As I finish, I decide I'd better use it to explore the mechanics bay, see if I can't meet and greet any of the others I might be working for. I look around, and I don't recognize any of the few faces I see, so instead I decide I may as well meet someone new, expand my area of influence.

My eyes alight on a teenage girl, my age, probably no older than 20. She's wearing a grey tank top, her back to me as she touts a huge wrench, working strenuously on what seems to be a suit of armor. She stops to wipe the seat from her forehead as I approach, and she notices my shadow on the floor. However, I believe she mistakes me for someone else, as she doesn't even look at me before speaking. "Nice try, but I'm not easily scared, I told you."

I cough. "Wasn't planning on scaring you at all." She jumps at my voice, seemingly recognizing it- or not recognizing it. She turns to me, her auburn red hair flying every which way as she quickly pivots. "Oh, I'm sorry! I thought you were someone else."

"That's okay, I do the same thing all the time!" I try to alleviate her embarrassment. "Well, I think I do, at least." I add under my breath.

She sticks out a hand to shake mine, though hers is covered in grease and sweat. I take no notice of it until I've already placed her hand in mine, however, so I can't say anything about it. I give it as solid a shake as I can manage, and she releases my hand with a beaming grin on her face. "I'm Brigitte! Nice to meet you!"

I nod. "I'm Ryuo."

Before I get to add anything else, she interjects with a gasp. "Ryuo? You're the guy we saved from Russia, then? Well, not me specifically, but Overwatch. Heh." She absentmindedly tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yep, that's me. I'm starting to think Reinhardt's told everyone and their dog the story by now."

She lights up. "You know Reinhardt? I'm his squire! I do his armor repairs, and travel with him wherever he goes! Unless Overwatch needs me elsewhere, that is."

"That's actually pretty cool. Did he hire you, or was it your choice?"

"Oh, it was my choice! I've always admired him and his steadfastness. I jumped at the chance, and I've never once regretted it!" She say this with a wistful look on her face, as if thinking back to the olden days, making me wonder how long she's been doing this.

I examine her work, and find it is a suit of armor, though not Reinhardt's. She notices me looking and explains. "This armor is mine, actually. I wear it when I'm out in the field. It keeps me safe and sound, though I do admit it is pretty hot in there. I'm working on putting in a cooling system, but for now, it's just this."

I notice people starting to trickle in from lunch, and the thought comes to me that I should head back and be early for Symmetra. I don't want to make a bad impression. I start to wrap up my conversation with Brigitte. "I'd like to see more of this, but I've got to get back to work. I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

She smiles and waves as I disappear into the crowd. "For sure! See you later!"

After a bit of weaving through a crowd, I get back to the workbench, where Satya is standing, waiting for me, looking calm and peaceful, as opposed to the disarray I put her in this morning. I feel worry well up in me as I approach. "I'm not late, am I?"

She chuckles lightly. "No, you are precisely on time. Let us resume our work."

I jump right back in, and we continue hypothesizing for a while until she falls silent for a while. When I notice and stop talking as well, she looks at me. "Maybe we should start construction of this first model, just to see if we're correct."

I tilt my head to the side, confused. "Wouldn't it make sense to do that tomorrow? It'll take a while, won't it?"

She shakes her head, standing up from where she sat beside me moments before. "Not at all." In a few fluid movements, almost as if she was dancing, blue lights begin to emit from what I now realize must be a prosthetic arm, and the machine begins to take shape in barely a few seconds.

My mouth hangs open, not only at the speed and efficiency, but also the grace and poise she performed it with. She seems even more regal now, perhaps even supernatural. She returns her gaze to me, the machine sitting completed before me. "Well? Shall we test it?"

I nod, and she starts the machine, which is about the size of a small car. It begins to hum, and emit tendrils of blue light, which coalesce into a solid platform, hanging about three or four feet off of the ground. I am absolutely astounded, now knowing exactly why she's one of the best at what she does. She sees the looks on my face, and smiles. "What are you waiting for? Weren't you going to test it?"

I nod, shaking myself out of my stupor, and grab a stool, using it to climb up to the platform. I stand first on the edge, then on the middle, and then everywhere else I can think of. Seeing no structural problems, I then proceed to shock test it, jumping up and down with as much force as I can muster, hitting the blue surface as hard as I can on impact. It doesn't do so much as crack, though, and I look at Symmetra, who is eyeing the device cautiously. I follow her gaze to where we decided we'd put the main generator, which is now sparking and coughing light-colored smoke. I realize that if the thing blows up, I'll fall three feet without warning, so I hop down before that can happen.

She speaks, still looking at the generator. "So, what do you think?"

"I have no problems with it, but that generator problem will be bad if we don't fix it. Any idea what it is?"

We examine the blueprints for a while, until I notice a curious discrepancy. "Wouldn't it rub against this part here? That's a static electricity discharge if I've ever seen one."

She nods. "Good catch. We'll be sure to fix that in later editions. For now, though, it seems we are done today's work, slightly faster than expected."

I nod. "Anything else you need me to do?"

She takes a sideways glance at my dishes from lunch, which I haven't dealt with yet, being lost in my work. "Oh, those. I'll do that right away, sorry." I snatch them up and hightail it out, beelining for the cafeteria.

Once inside, I notice it feels abandoned, as the only person inside that I can see is none other than me. I make my way to behind the counter, where dishes are piled high beside six sinks in succinct succession. I slide my dishes on top of the stack, careful not to upset the whole pile, and I'm about to leave when I hear a curious scratching coming from what seems to be the pantry.

I poke my head in to find a man rummaging through piles of snacks and other goodies, muttering to himself and laughing shrilly every once in a while. I'm about to step in to ask what he's doing, but I stop myself as I notice a particularly nasty-looking bear trap lying on the floor, right in my path. I instead stay at the door, not wanting to lose a leg. I examine him while waiting for him to notice me.

He looks as if he has a stunted growth, with a significant hunch to his back. A peg leg replaces a missing one, and a prosthetic arm- a theme, it seems- hangs from his shoulder. His hair sticks out every which way, but while Tracer's had order to it, and looked good, his looks like someone stuck a firecracker on top of his head. I notice that some of the tips of his hairs are burnt in mass proportions. He's not wearing a shirt, instead carrying a large tire on his back, and a bunch of explosives tied cantankerously to strips of fabric on his front. He is wearing shorts, though, and even they too are burnt in some spots, the ends having frayed and ripped long ago. He looks almost like someone you'd expect to meet in a junkyard, with the haphazard way he's put together, and I can't help but like him, though I question my judgement when I turn my attention back to the bear trap in front of me.

I decide not to gawk any further, instead leaving him to rummage some more. I find my way through the halls to the mechanics bay, where I return to Symmetra's workbench to find a note from her, written in impeccable cursive, so smooth and flowing I take a moment to appreciate her calligraphy.

 _Ryuo_

 _Thank you for your help today._

 _You are free to do whatever you wish for the rest of the day, as I am taking my afternoon off._

 _Symmetra_

She's straight to the point, if nothing else. I smile, and pocket the note. Free to do whatever I want, huh? I wonder what she's using it for. I decide I may as well go see what my other prospective employers- though I doubt that's the word I should be using- are up to. I don't see Winston or D. Va, so my choices are automatically cut in half. I look around for the small man, but cannot see him either, presumably due to his being in the middle of a crowd of people again. I do see the large, centaur-like robot, and surmise that my fifth choice should not be far away. I start to head towards it, and soon the inventor comes into view.

I approach slowly, and the robot turns its gaze to me. "Hello," it says in a voice so close to human it surprises me, "What can I do for you?" It tries to stand up, but the child shushes it. "You're not done, Orisa. Sit still." Her voice is small and dainty, but it carries an accent I'm not able to place. It matches with her chocolate skin and ethnic-styled clothing, and I surmise at length that this child is from a sub-Saharan country, though I don't want to generalize. She tinkers for a moment, and then stops to look at me. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. I'm Ryuo, and I was told you needed help with..." My memory fails me, and I struggle for a moment, finally coming up with the answers. "...Shields and superchargers?"

She laughs. "Yes, I do. The Commander told me you would be by sometime soon. Well then," she says exuberantly, standing up from where she was kneeling to work on the robot, "Let me introduce myself and get you started. I'm Efi!" She smiles, sticking out her hand at an upwards angle so as to make me not have to stoop. I gladly accept it, although it is odd to me to see someone Celica's age doing work in such a place as this. She doesn't waste a moment, instead wandering over to a bench with parts strewn all over it, and a few pieces of paper as well.

She pulls one of the pieces of paper out from under a pile of what looks to be bent sheet metal. "This is the plan for the shield devices Orisa uses. She goes through a lot of them, so I need a constant supply of them, and what with the missions increasing, you know..." She trails off, and I can hear from her voice that the memories she holds of what she's seen aren't pleasant.

I quickly interject. "And everything I need to make them is here?"

"Yep!" she nods, the smile returning to her face. "Are you good if I leave you here alone for a while to figure it out?"

I give her a thumbs up in return, her smile spreading now to my face. "Of course! I'll do my best!" Satisfied by that, apparently, she trots back to the robot, presumably Orisa, and continues tinkering. I set myself to the task at hand.

After a while of tinkering and looking at the blueprint, I decide to try my test device out, and bring it to Orisa and Efi. Orisa looks at me with glowing eyes. "Have you finished already?" It asks in a vaguely female voice, and I shake my head.

"I've only come to see if this thing I built actually works. Do you mind testing it out?"

Orisa nods, and takes the device, trying unsuccessfully to fit it into her launcher of sorts. "It seems to be too big." She hands it back to me, and Efi takes a look for a moment. "Did you pay attention to the scale on the blueprint?" She asks me, suddenly serious.

I shake my head. "I didn't notice it. Back to the drawing board, I guess." I trot back over and continue my tinkering, noticing I had built it at a 2:1 scale from what it was supposed to be. Sheepishly, I remake it, but smaller, and bring it back. this time Orisa nods. "That looks better," she says, and fits it into the launcher with no problem. When she tries to launch it, however, it does not fire, and she takes it out again, looking at it curiously. I take a look at it and try to figure out why it won't fire.

Efi surprises me by piping up. "You haven't put some of the wires in behind the trigger, have you? That's what usually happens to me when I don't pay attention. It blocks the trigger from-"

Orisa interjects, a mortified tone in her voice- for being robotic, it sounds nearly real. "Efi! You shouldn't be rude like that!"

Efi pauses for a moment, and then her facial expression changes, quick as a flash, to one of equal embarrassment. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She pleads with me, and I laugh.

"Don't worry, Efi- if I may call you that, that is." She nods, and I continue. "I didn't take offense to it at all."

She breathes a sigh of relief. "Okay, thanks. But yeah, the wires behind the trigger assembly. Try seeing if that works."

Back to the workbench I go once again, tinkering, repositioning, and thinking. Finally I bring the finished product back to Orisa and Efi, who are now talking to each other. They stop when I draw near enough to make out the words, though, and Orisa takes the shield generator from me to try to use it once more.

It fires this time, and lands safely on the ground. Once it does, however, only a small shield pops up, sputtering and flickering as if low on power. I pick it up and take it back to the workbench absentmindedly, muttering to myself. "Now what is up with you this time...?" I take the machine apart once more and rebuild it, this time with a different arrangement of wires and other components.

Orisa takes it from me, and she seems to be slightly amused as she loads it and fires it. This time it makes a large sized shield, and I sigh with relief. "So it was the battery then. Okay. I was starting to think for a second there I just wasn't smart enough to figure it out."

Efi looks at me, smiling sweetly. "Perfect! Orisa, how is the shield's strength?"

Orisa takes a second before replying. "My readout says the integrity is at 78 percent."

Efi bites her finger and mutters to herself. "Seventy-eight? That falls within the normal deviation, given the variable X..." Continuing to mutter, she picks it up and inspects it, turning it off and looking at it. I turn to Orisa. "She's really good at this, I see."

Orisa lights up and looks at me. "Oh, yes! Efi is one of the best."

I chuckle. "Having made you, I'd assume she is. You're a very sophisticated piece of art, Orisa."

"Why, thank you!" Her eyes change into a gleeful expression. "I'm impressed at your persistence, Mr. Ryuo."

I shake my head, still chuckling to myself. "Orisa, you can just call me Ryuo. There's no need for the 'Mr.' there. I'm just a young buck yet." I borrow one of Geoff's favorite expressions, one he'd use when we told him to pass his job on to someone else and take up a less strenuous one. Doing this reminds me of my time in Russia, and my emotions get clouded over with thoughts of Ame, but I shake them from my head and continue.

"Why are you impressed at my persistence? Am I not the first one to attempt this job?"

Orisa laughs as Efi tinkers with my device by the workbench. "Oh, no. We've had about six before you. Each one couldn't handle the scope of Efi's expertise- one even felt bad about being overshadowed by a child- and left. You're the first that's actually managed to produce a working shield within the first day, let alone one afternoon."

I chuckle. "What can I say? I'm a quick learner, if nothing else." We share a laugh, and Efi comes back to us, holding the shielding device in her hands. "Well," she exclaims, holding it out for me to take, "You've done a good job." I can tell she's trying to be official, and I find it extremely cute, so I decide to humor her, taking the device from her and nodding.

She continues with gusto. "You're cleared to come on board with Orisa and I, if you so desire. We'd be happy to have you."

I laugh, unable to control it any longer. "You don't have to be so formal with me, Efi. Just treat me normally."

She looks taken aback for a moment, but then bursts into a laugh as well, Orisa joining in. When she's done, she looks to Orisa, then to me. "I'm basically done here," she says, "so I don't think there's much else for you to do tonight. You're free to go!"

I laugh, and mockingly salute. "Sir, yes, sir!" She giggles at my antics, and I can't help but join in, the laughter being infectious. I wave as I leave. "Bye, Efi! Bye, Orisa!"

They both wave goodbye as Efi starts to tinker with Orisa once more. As I leave, my mind turns to Nobu. I was told he wished to stay here? I should meet with him, and see if he's willing to work as a mechanic too. But the issue is pushed to the back of my mind once again, as I realize by virtue of the clock on the wall that it is almost dinnertime. I decide I may as well head to the cafeteria, and wait to see if anyone I know shows up.

Lucky for me, as I walk in, having nearly memorized the path already, I spot Nobu, sitting at a table alone, with a brooding look on his face. I walk over and plop down opposite him, and it takes a while for him to notice me. When he does, his expression barely changes.

"Hey, Nobu! Just the guy I wanted to see. How are you feeling?"

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I don't belong here, Ryuo. But I don't belong at home either. I'm lost."

"Nobu, they have to have a place for you here. I can talk to Commander Morrison for you, if you like- see if you can't get a job repairing vehicles or something."

He shakes his head, resting both his elbows on the table. "That's not it. Back when we were in Russia, we had a family. We knew each other, joked with each other, lived with each other- here, it's just impersonal. I have to keep introducing myself to every person I meet, and sometimes twice to the same person. Is this really where I belong?" A look of despair slowly creeps onto his face as he speaks.

I speak softly. "Nobu, if you want a family, you have to work for it. You weren't family when you started in Russia, either. Just a couple of strangers stranded together. I mean, I wasn't there, but from what I understand, it wasn't exactly a friendly atmosphere in the beginning. It's the same here. You've got to make an effort to fit in. I've made a few friends already, and I've just been stumbling around for the most part."

"You're not me, Ryuo. I'm not like you. I don't socialize, I don't chit-chat. I like to put my hands to work and forget about myself."

I stand up, seeing Commander Morrison walk in, looking irritated at what seems to be Lena buzzing around him. I look at Nobu. "I'll be right back." I walk towards Jack, who brightens up from a scowl to a frown as he sees me.

"Ryuo. Is everything working out?" He greets me stoically.

"Yeah, for me. I've got a question about my friend over there, though." I say, pointing to Nobu, who is looking over here with a confused look on his face. "He helped me build my suit. He feels out of place here, and I was wondering if he could get a job here too, like me."

Morrison sighs. "We can't just give jobs to everyone who wants one, you know. It's a process."

"Yeah," I nod, "but can we at least try? He refuses to go back to his home before, you know, Russia, and he wants to stay here with me because I'm the last thing that he knows. Maybe we could let him fill one of the positions offered to me, so that I've got four choices?"

Lena pipes in, having seemingly understood a lot from my conversation. "C'mon, Jack. You can't just be this heartless. Give him a chance!"

Jack looks up to the ceiling and sighs, a sound he makes frequently, with good reason. "I will think about it. Lena, I will think about it more if I get that report by tonight."

Lena hops to attention. "Sir, Cadet Oxton, yes, sir!" She snaps a hasty salute and zips out of the room with that sleek blue trail behind her.

I look at Morrison. "Sneaky. You're good."

He looks at me with a look of tiredness in his eyes. "Now, can I please get dinner and forget about work for ten seconds?"

I laugh, and point to the line. "Be my guest. Thanks, Commander."

He brushes past me, putting a hand in the air over his shoulder, as if waving in acknowledgement. I don't wait for a second, instead returning to Nobu, who still looks depressed. He tilts his head up to turn his gaze from the table to me as I sit back down across from him. "What was that about?"

I smile. "May have just got you a job in the mechanics bay. We'll see. For now, why don't you eat something and chat with me for a while?"

He seems to brighten up a bit at this prospect, and we join the ever-growing line and start to talk about what happened after the Russia rescue. He tells me that when we were in the air, Ame and I were in critical condition, but a doctor saved our lives. The Commander and Reinhardt then asked all of them if they were okay, and talked with them for a while. When they landed here, Nobu and the rest were herded out to a waiting room while Ame and I were taken to the medical ward. Some people gave them questionnaires to fill out, mostly just background information. Once that was done, they were asked if they wanted to return home immediately. Most said yes, with the only exception being Nobu. They were ushered out to wait for available transport, while Nobu was given a bunk room, where he's slept for the past while, during my recuperation period.

"Have you talked to anyone?" I ask as we near the front of the line.

"Barely," he answers, "only enough to get by."

"What do you do with yourself?"

He shrugs. "I would come by while you're sleeping, or wander around. they have a place to meditate as well, so I'd go there often."

My eyes light up as I remember the location he's talking about. "Oh, yeah! The one with the zen garden?"

He nods. "Yes. I found it peaceful to spend my time in that room, simply focusing on meditation rather than the outside world."

"Did you meet the two Omnics that sometimes go there? One's a floaty guy that wears baggy pants and the other has cool swords."

Nobu coughs, his eyes fixed on something behind me, but I don't give notice, and keep talking. "They're both pretty cool, although the one with the swords tried to kill me. Not that I blame him, though. I was the one intruding."

A robotic voice, sounding vaguely Asiatic in nature, sounds from behind me. "You are correct."

I turn around slowly to see none other than scarf dude standing behind me, noticeably taller now that he's upright. "Oh." I raise my eyebrows a bit. "Hey, I was just talking about you. What's up?"

It glowers at me, and though I doubt most robots can glower well, this one pulls it off with flying colors. "I can see that. Do you have a problem with me?"

I shake my head. "No, sir."

It steps closer to me, sounding angrier by the minute. "Why did you call me an Omnic then?"

My eyes widen in confusion. "Oh." I finally realize that my earlier suspicions had been correct. "That's why. Sorry, I misjudged you."

It- he, I should say- stays silent, and I decide to stay silent as well. After a while, he speaks up. "You would do best to avoid me." With that, he turns away and leaves, not stopping for anything.

I shake my head and turn back to Nobu. "Well, I royally hecked up. I sure hope the floaty dude's less touchy about being called an Omnic."

Nobu looks at me gravely. "The 'floaty dude', as you call him, is an Omnic, yes, but the one you just talked to is human. His body is badly damaged, and the technology is his life support."

I nod. "I thought as much, but I think referring to an Omnic as human would bring up more trouble than referring to a humanoid cyborg as an Omnic would. I guess I erred on the wrong side."

We hit the front of the line, and this time I pay more attention to what I get on my plate, ending up with a nice spread of various cultural dishes. I have some simple sushi, with what seems to be raw fish on top, a large helping of lasagna, and a bit of coleslaw on the side. I sit down with Nobu, who seems to have taken exclusively sushi, and dig in as he does the same. I enjoy the raw fish more than I thought I would, as it's meaty, yet velvety, and I find myself wanting more. I don't ask Nobu if I can snag some of his, however, as I'm sure it must be a comfort for him to have food he recognizes after so long on canned beans and whatnot in Russia.

We eat in silence for a while, and then he speaks up. "If that exchange was indicative of anything, you must be having as bad a time as I am."

I laugh. "No, I've been doing pretty well for myself. I've made friends with a talking gorilla and a twelve-year old. And those are the normal ones. You should meet some of them! I'm sure you'd get along with them."

He looks at his now half-empty plate and sighs deeply. "I don't know if I should stay here, or go home. I don't have anyone waiting for me there, but you're going on without me here."

I cough. "What am I doing right now, Nobu?"

He stares at me, not able to answer, so I continue. "I'm catching up with you after being in a coma for about two weeks. I've taken the time to chat with you, when I could have been over at another table with my new friends. Tell me why that is?"

"...Pity."

I smack myself in the forehead. "If it was pity, I wouldn't have continued to spend time with you once conversation got as depressive as this. I'm here because you're my friend, Nobu. Just like those other shmucks. That's not going to change."

He stays silent for a while, and then smiles weakly, still looking down. "...Thanks."

I place a bit of coleslaw in my mouth and chew thoughtfully. "Maybe," I say, swallowing, "if you were to make some friends, you wouldn't have this problem."

He shakes his head, but I've already stood up, and am now walking around the table to grab his arm. "Come on, we're introducing you to people."

He protests weakly, but follows my lead, and I drag him over to a table where D. Va and Winston are sitting, joined by Dave and a few others, including the lady who'd brought me the research on hard-light construction- Lola, was it? I wave, Nobu slightly behind me. "Hey guys, what's good?"

Hana nearly squeals at the sight of me. "Ryuo! We were just talking about you. Would you rather fight a thousand duck sized horses or one horse sized duck?"

I deliberate for a moment, and then reply. "A thousand duck-sized horses. I could just jump up somewhere and they'd be stuck. The horse sized duck would be harder, because you couldn't escape from it if you tried."

She laughs. "True, although you'd have a hard time killing them."

I step to the side, allowing them to see Nobu. "Guys, this is Nobu. He was with me in Russia."

Their expressions immediately soften, and Winston greets him cordially. "Hello, Nobu. I'm Winston. It's a pleasure."

Nobu nods slowly. "Please forgive me, this will take a bit of getting used to, Winston. Pleased to meet you."

scooches over a bit and pats the bench beside her. "Have a seat! Tell me, Nobu, would you rather fight a hundred rat sized crocodiles or one crocodile sized rat?"

As he sits down, he takes a moment to think, and then replies. "The rat sized crocodiles, because crocodiles have barely any force to open their jaws with, so I can simply hold them closed with my hand and win. Plus, they're slow on land, so I can step on them at my leisure."

Hana laughs. "Smart, I see. Okay, how about..."

As she continues, and he gradually integrates into the conversation at the table, I smile, still observing from outside. It's good that he's forming relationships. I yawn, and realize I haven't had a good sleep since two nights ago. I wave to the group. "I'm gonna hit the hay, you guys. See you later."

All of them, including Nobu, look a bit disappointed at my leaving, but wave anyways as I leave, offering assorted goodbyes. I find my way back to the medical bay, but upon reentry of my room, I find another patient laying there, reading a book. He looks up at me. "Uh, sorry. Do I know you?" he asks, looking at me quizzically.

I shake my head. "I'm just blind. Sorry, dude. Hope you get better soon." As I leave, he waves weakly, and I return it just the same, closing the door behind me as I stand in the hallway.

What? Where do I sleep now?

I decide to look for Angela, to see if she has any explanation. I do not find her, however, and I resort to asking a passerby in the hallway if they know where she is. They point me down a hallway I'm not familiar with, and describe a series of turns. I'm sure I heard them wrong, because by the end, I am now incurably lost, with no idea where I am and no idea where to go to get out. Unsurprisingly, I decide to continue going, and explore, hoping what I find will be more exciting than sleep.

After a while, I find myself in a particularly familiar long hallway with double doors at the end. When I stick my head in, I see the meditation room again. A familiar landmark, but with no idea how to go from here, it's as useless as a fish in an air duct.

"A fish in an air duct?" I mutter to myself as I walk inside the room. "You are tired, you idiot." Finding an array of pillows, I decide that holing up here for the night is as good of an idea as any. I place myself in the middle of the pile, and fall asleep quickly.


	23. Chapter 23

I'm standing in a black expanse, though my feet contact something solid. I hear something echoing all around me, but I can't place it. I turn my head this way and that, but I can't see anything, until finally I notice a flash in the distance. As I start to run towards it, the sound gets clearer and clearer until I can finally identify it.

It's a clash of steel against steel.

With a sudden roar, wind gusts by me, and I nearly fall over at the force. I look up to see a kid, looking no younger than 15, holding a sword, with his back turned to me. I start to call out, but I'm silenced when an authoritative voice bellows from beyond the child.

"Who is this, that dare intrude?" The words swell around me, and I look, desperately trying to find the source.

The teenager with the sword looks back at me, and in that instant, I can see beyond him, to a vast, coiling green dragon, floating in the sky. Its eyes burn with celestial fire, and I am overcome with true fear.

I bolt upright, upsetting the pillows around me, a cold sweat finding itself on my skin as my nightmare forcefully awakens me. I pant for a moment before taking stock of my surroundings. It's now morning, and light streams through small slits in the wall, prompting me to believe this is at the edge of the complex. The meditation room is empty, save a lone figure sitting in the middle of the room. His legs are folded under him, and a sword sits on his lap. I recognize him instantly as I spot him turning his head to look at me.

I start to stand, but he speaks up. "Stop."

I don't move, as he's ordered me to, instead waiting for his next phrase. He speaks again after a moment. "What are you doing in here?"

I scratch the back of my head. "Well, you aren't going to like what I have to say." He's silent, so I continue. "I was kicked out of my hospital room, and I have no idea where I was supposed to sleep, so I got lost looking for it, and ended up here. I figured I'd better get some sleep, and crashed here. I guess I ended up having a nightmare and ruining your meditation. I'm really sorry."

He says nothing, and I start to move again, but I cease when he speaks. "What was this nightmare?" His words are careful and measured, as if he's trying to retain his composure.

I shake my head. "I saw a kid with a sword, and a giant dragon. I don't remember much."

He stands up, and turn to me, his stance very much an aggressive one. He moves to me with surprising agility, and hoists me by the collar of the shirt I'm wearing. "You have five seconds to explain why I shouldn't kill you." I can tell immediately by the tone of his voice that he is not in a joking mood.

"...I don't know. I've just been a bother to you this whole time, so I'd want to kill me too, honestly. I have a feeling nothing I can say will redeem my actions."

He looks at me piercingly, the eyes behind what I now think to be a mask seemingly boring into mine, though I can't see them. I wait for what seems like eternity, and then he drops me unceremoniously. I land on my butt on the pile of pillows. "You are lucky I am a man of mercy. Get out of my sight, before I change my mind."

I slowly get up, and watch his gaze as I slink out of the room. Before I go, I clue in to what it might have been that triggered his sudden rage. "Oh. I'm so sorry..."

He yells, startling me enough to force me to leave. "Get out!" The door thuds solidly shut behind me, and I can only surmise if I hadn't moved that I could have been dead. I decide to leave before he changes his mind and opens the door to kill me, and hurry out of the hallway. As I wander, trying to find my way back to a place I know, I muse about what just happened.

"Was it him in the dream?" I mutter aloud, so as to keep my thoughts organized. "If so, what was that dragon? I remember the floaty dude saying something about mastering what's inside before trying to master what's outside, but I don't know if that has any bearing."

I hear another robotic voice chuckle from not too far away, and I look to see none other than the floating Omnic moving towards me, a hand over where its mouth would be if it had one. "Excuse me," it says, "but I could not help but chuckle at your name for me."

I sheepishly rub the back of my head, "Sorry, I totally lost your name. I'm not the best at remembering things, if you can forgive me."

It waves a hand at me dismissively. "Don't fret over it. My name is Zenyatta, young one. I believe you're Ryuo?"

I nod. "Yep, thanks. Do you mind if I ask a couple of questions about the guy that was with you before- what was his name again?"

"Genji, is it?" I nod, and he puts forth a bit more. "What would you like to know?"

I lean against the wall casually. "I may or may not have intruded on one of his meditation sessions and seen something I shouldn't have." The Omnic tilts its head in curiosity and beckons for me to go on. "I decided- stupidly, of course- that I should take a nap, and had a dream where I think he appeared. He got aggravated when I told him about it."

"What did you see in this dream?" The Omnic moves closer to me, a peaceful aura around it.

I shift my balance from foot to foot and continue. "I saw a child with a sword and a giant green dragon. I couldn't tell from what I saw, but from what I heard they were fighting. I think the child might have been Genji? I know he's human in that suit of his- life support, I've heard it called?"

The monk nods. "Yes, you are correct. It is a life support system, designed to keep him alive. Also, what you saw in the dream is something he does not show to most anyone, so I can understand his aggravation. I doubt he would like me talking about it, but I must let you know of the severity so you do not talk about it to others."

It- I'm having a hard time calling this Omnic an 'it', simply based on how human it seems- settles itself on the floor, still in a meditative posture. "Genji is part of the Shimada clan. I don't know if you recognize the name?"

I remember the nameplate with the holes in the wall next to it, and I nod slightly. "I've seen it on a nameplate somewhere in this complex, but it had an 'H' in front of it, not a 'G' for Genji. Other than that, I don't know a thing about it."

He nods, and continues. "That was for his brother, and head of the clan, Hanzo Shimada. The Shimada clan was best known in older times for its alliance with the dragon spirits, and those spirits have rested with the heirs ever since. Hanzo and Genji have been at odds from a young age, Hanzo being inclined towards the clan and Genji wanting to leave it. Hanzo, in a fit of rage one day, blew up the Shimada clan headquarters with Genji inside it. After his body was reconstructed from metal, he came seeking me out in order to master himself and the dragon that chose him. It currently resides in the sword he carries on his back, and it still rebels from time to time, when it senses his emotional distress, forcing him to fight it in the spirit realm, leaving his body in a meditative trance. Your dream must have unwittingly tapped into his fight, and thus you witnessed the literal embodiment of his weakness- him fighting to keep control over the things that define him as who he is."

I nod, wide-eyed. "I thought it was something bad, but not something as severe as that. I'm guessing Hanzo and Genji don't have the best relationship?"

Zenyatta shakes his head. "I'm afraid they do not. Genji still blames Hanzo for what he did, and Hanzo does not wish to reconcile. They have fought multiple times now, and the tension between them has always been on the verge of snapping."

"Is Hanzo more receptive to people, or is he as standoffish as Genji?"

"Hanzo's emotional scars from the incident as well as from life before the fall of the Shimada clan have left him as unreceptive as Genji, unfortunately. I have tried to talk to him, but he seems to hate me simply because of my connection to Genji." The monk's expression doesn't change, but his voice indicates a grief he feels.

I stand there for a moment, completely speechless at this sudden development. I manage to gather my wits about me and say something. "You were right to tell me about this, though I don't know how happy Genji or Hanzo will be if they find out you told me. I promise I'll keep my end of the deal airtight. No telling anyone without permission from me. You have my word."

Zenyatta nods, and then laughs lightly, placing his hand on my shoulder as he rises to float again. "You're a good man. Thank you. I hope to see more of you again in the near future, though I also hope it will be on less solemn terms." With that, he leaves, still chuckling as he turns the corner and disappears from my sight.

I wait there a moment, and then look up at the ceiling. "Man, how is it that everyone has this perfect timing? This base-wide AI sure is something if it's orchestrating all of this." An idea forms in my head, and I decide to try it. "Hey! AI! Athena, was it?"

A digitally rendered voice greets me from nowhere and everywhere at once. "Greetings, Ryuo. What can I do for you?"

My eyes widen. "I didn't actually think I would get a response. Can you tell me how to find Angela?"

The voice speaks again. "Doctor Zeigler is currently in the medical ward, room 2702. To get there, head through the left hallway..."

I follow the instructions, the voice never leaving, always positioned right above my head, until I find myself staring at the door for room 2702. I wait for a moment, and then the door opens and closes, with Angela hurrying out, muttering to herself.

I call after her. "Hey! Angela!"

She whips around at the sound of my voice, and breathes a large sigh. "Oh, Ryuo. Where have you been?"

I laugh. "Out taking naps in meditation rooms and talking to Athena. I noticed my room's been repurposed. Where should I sleep from now on?"

She looks at a clipboard she holds under her arm, and then back to me. "You can ask Athena. She knows everything you need. Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

I laugh. "Nope! Thanks for the help. See you later!"

She runs off, presumably to stay on schedule, and I call out to the ceiling again. "Hey, Athena! How do I get to my room?"

Following the directions again, I find myself at another one of the cookie-cutter style barracks hallways, this one decidedly less decorated than the one I wandered down. I find a nameplate that simply says "R. Guillo" on it, and open the door to a nondescript room with a small desk, a chair, and a bed with white sheets and a lonely pillow. I chuckle. "Up to me to personalize it, huh?"

I realize with a start that I haven't been taking care of my general hygiene, although I'm sure they did so while I was asleep in the hospital ward- to save me any embarrassment. I shudder at the thought, and call out to Athena again. "Where do I get personal hygiene supplies, and where are the showers at?"

Following Athena's guidance for the umpteenth time today, I navigate to a room marked "Showers", with a male stick figure on the door to denote the mens' section. I push the door open and I'm happy to find it empty, so I can shower in peace. They have shower stalls, all lined up in a row, and I'm surprised at how much room they've allocated to this as I slip into one, swiftly disrobing and turning it on. I find the water deliciously hot, and linger for a bit longer than I should after a vigorous cleaning. I turn it off and step out, wrapping a towel around myself as I walk back to my stuff.

I pick up my shirt, and eye it with disgust, having worn it for who knows how long. "Athena, can I get new clothes somewhere in this complex, or do I have to order them online or something?"

Athena answers me promptly. "There are a few clothing options for you. I can direct you to the nearest outfitter if you wish?"

I shake my head in awe as I slip the previously worn clothing over my head. "Yeah, that'd be great. Can you explain to me how that works?"

By the time I've made it to the quaint little hole-in-the-wall style outfitter, I know all the regulations about clothing and ownership. You're allowed two casual outfits, one formal outfit, and a uniform that corresponds to your job: a lab coat for scientists, coveralls for mechanics, etc. I browse through the casual outfits section, finding plain t-shirts with simple colors and a small selection of pants and jeans. I pick a few of each that fit, and then move on to find an attendant. I hail her with a wave. "Can I drop this outfit off here?" I query, pinching the outfit I'm currently wearing. She nods, and points to a changeroom area where I can swap clothing items. I skirt over and draw the curtain behind me, swapping over to the fresh shirt and new pair of pants. Exiting quickly, I hand her the old garments with a nod and a quick word of thanks, and then exit, feeling refreshed.

Now in my fresh new duds, I decide that I should probably get myself some food, seeing as I haven't eaten yet today. I ask Athena how to get to the cafeteria, and soon find myself entering while most are on their way out. Seems I just missed the rush. Less lining up for me, I suppose?

I find myself soon sitting at a table alone with my breakfast- muffins and a bowl of cereal. I eat slowly as I contemplate my situation. This whole thing is too surreal. So many new people to meet and too many new dynamics to get used to. I'm feeling in over my head.

I decide that today I'd better put my hands to some good old mechanical work and seek out Torbjorn, I think it was? The guy with the awesome mustache. In any case, I'd better get moving quickly, to make sure I'm not late for anything important. I toss my dishes behind the counter where a pile is already half-formed and make haste towards my destination.

Upon arrival, I quickly find him surrounded by different people, and as I listen in, he delegates jobs to each and every person around him. I wait until he's done talking to everyone else to approach him.

"Hey!" I give him a friendly wave and a smile as he turns to look at me. "Torbjorn, right? I'm Ryuo. Got anything I can tinker with?"

He sticks out his hand for a handshake, and I clasp my hand in his, shaking it up and down a few times. He laughs at me, more a hearty laugh than a mischievous one. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ryuo! I do, in fact, have quite a bit you can do." He thinks for a moment before resuming. "Do you know how to fix an engine?"

I shake my head. "Nope, but I'm a quick learner!"

He turns around and walks off quickly, still smiling. "Well, keep up then! We've got a lot to do."


	24. Chapter 24

I wipe the sweat from my forehead, and then mentally chastise myself, grabbing the rag hanging from my belt to clean my face of the grease I just smeared on it for the near-thousandth time today. I look down at the overalls I've been loaned, and find them completely beyond recognition, stained almost everywhere. I sigh, and look over to where Torbjorn is working, just a few feet from me. I call out to him, setting down my wrench as I do so. "Hey, Torbjorn!"

He doesn't even look up, and his voice bounces off the metal surrounding him. "Yes?"

I fight to suppress a smile as I admire his dedication. "I'm all done on this side!"

With a start, he looks up, and comes over to survey my work. "Well!" He exclaims with a look of surprise on his features. "You certainly are! I think that should be good for today then, my lad! Go get some food in you." He pats me on the back and goes back to his work.

I stand up and peel the overalls off of myself, revealing the casual clothes beneath, thankfully unmarred and still good to wear. I make tracks to the dining area, where a few people I recognize- and a whole bunch I don't- are seated together, laughing. I eye them with a slight smile on my face as I get myself situated in line. Once I've grabbed my food- another smorgasbord night, which is a veritable jackpot- I sit down with them and am soon intertwined in the conversation, with topics ranging from pirates to string bean farms. As I eat, I get to know a few more people, learn a few more names, and commit a few more social blunders, as per usual.

Once I'm done, I navigate to my room- with the help of Athena, of course- and settle in, laying down in my bed with a resigned sigh.

"A room all to myself, huh?" I say to the headboard and grey wall behind it.

"Not really, love! I'm right here!" The wall replies back.

I nod. "Oh. Well, I- Wait, what?!"

I hear giggling from behind the wall, and then a few raps at my door. I open it to reveal Tracer, in a cute pair of blue pajamas adorned with little British flags. The light from her device still glows from underneath her clothes. She wears a bemused smile on her face, and her posture is sassy. "Looks like you and I are wallmates! My room's just on the other side of your wall, that is."

My eyebrows twitch involuntarily as I make a concerned face. "Um, I don't think 'wallmates' is a term. Also, how did you get over here that quick?"

She responds by flashing a blue light in my eyes, no doubt issued from the device of hers, her voice echoing from down the corridor- somehow. "It's my chronal accelerator!"

I shake my head. "Who-whaty?"

She pokes her head back into the doorframe. "Come look!"

I stand up and look out to see her zipping up and down the hallway in quick bursts, leaving a blue light trail behind her. "Chronal accelerator! Winston made it! It allows me to speed up time for myself!" She disappears completely, leaving no trace of her, save her voice behind me- wait, behind-!

I whip around to see her wagging a finger at me. "I can even go back in time a bit! Not too much though."

I gawk. "And here I thought it was just for show. Where do I get one?"

She laughs, walking inside my room and sitting down on my bed, though I don't complain, having not really wanted to go to bed right away- a worthy distraction is welcome. She starts to explain things, but I don't catch much, only certain snippets. "Well, I was- Air Force- Slipstream- supposed to teleport- lost in time- chronal accelerator- harness it!"

I shake my head. "You'd better slow down. It's late at night, and I caught about ten words of that."

She pouts mockingly, drawing her knees up to her chest and rocking from side to side on my bed. "Alrighty, love. Pay attention. I was in the Air Force, right, and they wanted me to test a new jet, called the Slipstream, and it was supposed to teleport, yeah? Well, instead of that, it sent me back in time. I wasn't there most of the time- I think Winston called it 'tangible', or some other science-y speak, who knows- until he made me this!" At this, she proudly points to the device still glowing a light blue under her pajamas. "Now, I can use it to sort of release myself from time a little bit? I don't really know how it works. All I know is it's fun!"

I laugh. "It would seem so, judging by the constant smile on your face."

D. Va's voice sounds from the doorway. "Wow! Scandal! Tracer in yet another person's bedroom after curfew! Wait until Emily and the gossip rags hear about this!" A camera flash accentuates this statement, catching me and Lena off guard.

Tracer sputters. "I-it's not like that, Hana! I'm just getting to know him! A little chitchat before bedtime never hurt anyone!"

Hana walks in, her own pajamas bright pink with little bunnyrabbit faces polkadotted all around, her phone pointed accusingly at Lena. "A little chitchat, huh? It doesn't look that way to me. Let me see, Emily, hmmm..." She pokes at her phone's screen for a moment before exclaiming. "Aha! Here we go. 'Em, Lena's... been cheating on you... again, with the... hot new guy at base'... and... Sent!" Her pauses are extended by her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth as she types furiously, while Tracer falls back on the bed and groans.

I grin bemusedly at both their reactions. "Who's Emily?"

Tracer looks up at me dejectedly. "My girlfriend back home. Hana's constantly been trying to stir her up with fake scandals and whatnot. Just because I like to talk to people!"

Hana plops down on the bed beside her and elbows her. "Only the hot people! I'm telling you, it's a conspiracy!"

I laugh. "And you notice this why, Hana? Jealous she gets to talk to hot people?"

D. Va looks at me, shocked. "I-Wha-You-No!" She grabs my pillow out from under Tracer and tosses it at me in indignation. "It's not like that!" I deflect it with my forearms, and it lands on the ground with a flumph.

Tracer coyly sidles up beside her. "Oh, why are you blushing, then, hun?" She jabs Hana in the stomach, and Hana squeals, squirming away from her. "Stop it! You know I hate being tickled."

I continue to laugh at their antics. "Is this a commonplace thing, to hop into other people's rooms for late-night conversations? Or am I just too hot of a commodity to leave alone?"

Tracer laughs. "I'd do it all the time, but everyone's always on about their beauty sleep, or how they've got a mission tomorrow, or they've had a long day, or dinner hasn't sat well with them, or some other malarkey! I swear, nobody's any fun around here anymore- that is, except you guys."

I hear a sleepy voice issue from just outside my line of sight, out in the hallway. The words are slurred, and I surmise it's someone who's just been woken up- quite rudely, I must think- from what would have been a good night's sleep. "Coul' you guys keep it down? I'm tryna sleep over here."

Tracer hops upright, squealing in surprise. "Brigitte! Get in here!" Her chronal accelerator glows, and she zips out of the room. I hear a confused yell, and Brigitte stumbles in, most likely pushed by Tracer, the latter zipping back in to her previous spot, guiding the confused and still sleepy newcomer to sit in-between her and D. Va.

I revert back to my astounded state at this new development. "I was trying to sleep five minutes ago and now I'm having a mini tell-all with three girls. Who'da thunk?"

Brigitte struggles to get back up, but Lena holds her down, with a bit of help from Hana on the other end. Brigitte finally huffs and sits down. "Fine, you got me. What are we talking about?"

I shrug, and smile widely, holding my hands up in mock confusion. "Your guess is as good as mine, Brigitte- is Brigitte okay? Do you have a nickname you prefer?"

Lena pipes up cheerily. "I just call her Brig! Although, that reminds me of the slammer on those pirate ships..."

D. Va giggles. "Lena, you're crazy. Wasn't there some really old music by some guy named The Brig? I remember Lucio telling me about it."

I raise an eyebrow. "Who's Lucio?"

Hana perks up at my comment. "What?! You haven't met Lucio yet? Tomorrow, you're coming with me, and I'll introduce you! He's, like, the greatest music producer ever! He's just dropped a new album- it's called Auditiva Synesthesia! I can lend it to you sometime!"

"A music artist, a talking gorilla, a twelve-year-old prodigy, and a near-literal dwarf. Are things going to get any more crazy or can I take off my tinfoil hat now?"

Tracer and D. Va laugh, but Brigitte looks a bit put off by my comment. "By 'near-literal dwarf', I hope you don't mean my dad, do you?"

I shake my head in astonishment. "You're Torbjorn's daughter?"

She nods curtly with a serious look on her face. "Brigitte Lindholm, daughter of Torbjorn Lindholm. I sure hope that joke was good-natured, otherwise I'll have to tell my dad you said that."

I backpedal a bit in my speech, trying to salvage my insensitivity. "I just meant that he works with metal, like the dwarves supposedly do- and that he's a hardy man, with a good constitution. I didn't mean anything by it, I swear."

A small burst of air escapes her lips, and I stop as she starts to laugh uncontrollably. I watch as Lena and Hana join in as well, all three thrown back onto my bed, holding their stomachs, laughing as much as they can.

Brig finally looks up at me, wiping a tear from her eye. "It's okay. My dad loves those sort of jokes, don't worry. It's just funny to mess with people like that."

I nod, a look of mock offendedness on my face. "Sure. Why do I get the feeling everyone and their dog here wants nothing more than to clown on me?"

Tracer's face suddenly goes stone serious. "You'd better not make that joke. There are a few clowns here that'd take offense to that. And dogs."

We burst into laughter at about the same time, all sharing in a good chortle for a good while, swapping one-liners, jokes, and funny stories late into the night. I don't remember ushering any of them out, or saying good night to anyone, but I do remember falling asleep on the chair, swiveled to face the bed, a smile still plastered on my face.


	25. Chapter 25

Ugh.

I have a massive ache in all my body. My head, my back, my legs- they all hurt.

I open my eyes to find that I did indeed fall asleep on the chair, my head slumped forwards. My neck protests with yet another twinge of pain as I lift my head and wipe the grogginess from my eyes. Why did I fall asleep here of all places?

One quick glance at the bed reveals why. Tracer, D. Va, and Brigitte are entangled in some sort of sleepy Twister game on the bed, partially under the covers. It seems they decided that rather than leave to their own rooms, they'd take their nightly snooze in mine. How they got so messed up is unknown to me. All three look perfectly comfortable, though, so I decide to leave them be. They probably need the sleep.

I stand up and grab my change of clothes from yesterday, exiting as quietly as possible so as to not wake them, and making my way to the showers. I have the feeling I've arrived at the best time, since there's not a soul around as I approach the door. Peeking in confirms the fact that I am alone.

I quickly strip and stuff all I have in a locker, heading to the line of showers. I take the first one open, and turn the water on as hot as it will go, to hopefully loosen all these knots in my muscles. I stretch myself out under the burning spray, trying to erase the damage last night's bad sleeping posture has done.

The door to the room opens and closes with a thud, and I realize I am no longer alone, and have forgot to bring myself a towel to cover myself with. I smack myself in the forehead, and then go over my options. I can hope that nobody else comes in, and I can sneak to my locker with no problem, or I can swallow my pride and ask for it now.

The front door opens and closes again. Sorry, pride, but you're gonna have to go.

I call out. "Hey, champ, would you mind grabbing me a towel? I was stupid and forgot mine."

A Southern drawl replies lazily. "Sure. Which stall you in?"

I poke a hand over the top as response, and it seems to work as a towel hits my hand not long after. I drape it over the door to my shower stall. "Thanks!"

The same voice issues out. "No problem."

The stall door beside mine opens and closes, and I see the bottoms of a pair of feet through the gap in the bottom. I'm nearly finished with my time, so I turn my water off just as he turns his water on. Wrapping the towel around myself, I exit the stall and track back to my locker, looking for the third person. It turns out to be the most likely source of the Southern accent, as the man is wearing an outfit much like the cowboys of old. He sports everything from spurs to chaps to the old-fashioned revolver holsters, with revolvers in them at the moment. Even the stereotypical Stetson perches itself on top of his head. He turns around to face me, and the first thing that catches my eye is his belt buckle, which proclaims BAMF in a near-gold sheen. I look up to his face and see he has a half-smoked cigar in his mouth, with a friendly smile to boot.

"Well, howdy, there." He tips his hat to me as I open my locker and grab my change of clothes for the day. "I reckon I'd remember your name if I'd seen you around before. The name's McCree."

I nod, too far across the room to attempt a handshake and too awkward to move to try. "I'm Ryuo. Well met."

He chuckles lightly as I slip on my clothes. "What plans do you have today, Ryuo? I'm one man short for something fun later and I'm looking for someone to give me a hand."

The man in the shower stall next to my previous one yells suddenly. "Don't! Do not! Run if you know what's good for you! I did it once and got assigned to cleaning duty for a month as punishment!"

McCree's chuckle turns into a guffaw. "Aw, Craig, you just got caught, that's all! Don't be a downer. So," he turns back to me, a smile still plastered on his face, "You in?"

Having slipped a t-shirt over my head to complete my dressing sequence, I look at him and shrug. "Why not? I've got nothing better to do." Craig from the showers groans as I say this, but I push it out of my mind.

He claps his hands. "Good to hear. I reckon I'll call on ya at lunch hour. Sound like a plan?"

"Sure, sounds good." I nod, and wave as I move towards the exit, my stuff in tow. "Until lunch hour, then."

I hear Craig call out something as I leave, but I ignore it and trek back to my room to see if the girls have awakened. Peeking inside, I see all three are still blissfully asleep, so I lightly place my clothes on my desk and close the door softly again.

A voice from behind me startles me as I finish closing the door, and I jump involuntarily, my heart jumping up to my throat. I turn around to see an Asian girl in what looks to be the poofiest coat ever chuckling at me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! I was just asking what they were doing in there like that."

I scratch the back of my head. "Would you believe me if I said they invaded my room when I was about to go to sleep and took over my bed? I had to sleep on the desk chair."

"I would believe you. This happens all the time, especially when Tracer is bored." She laughs, and I notice a curious device on her back, though I don't get a good look at it. "I'm Mei." she sticks our her hand, which is in a huge glove, easily the size of my head.

"I'm Ryuo, nice to meet you." I grab her gloved hand and shake it incredulously. "What's with the snowman suit? Are you going to Antarctica today to study penguins?"

She laughs, clapping her hands once or twice. "You're funny! No, I'm just doing regular work. I do need a bit of help today, though. Are you free for the morning?"

I nod. "I have somewhere to be at lunch hour, but I'm good until then."

"We have lots of time, then! Perfect! Follow me!" She trots off down the hallway, and I can't help but chuckle to myself at the pamf sound each of her footsteps make.


	26. Chapter 26

It is cold.

That was an understatement.

I don't think I can move yet.

Why, oh, why did I blindly say yes to helping the cute Chinese girl wearing a giant, poofy coat?

Better yet, how is me being turned into a human popsicle helpful to her?

I can't feel my legs.

I sure hope I get thawed out soon...

Oh, there she is.

Why are you scribbling on a clipboard?

Get me out of here!

Don't leave!

...I guess I'm going to be here a while.


	27. Chapter 27

I shiver as I enter the cafeteria, a bit earlier than usual. The cold still sticks with me though I've been thawed out for thirty minutes, getting my bearings straight. I'm never going back to help her again. Never. Of course, I was polite to her. She probably thought I knew what I was getting myself into. Wrongly so, I must say.

Joining the line, my teeth chatter a bit involuntarily, and I hear someone approach me from behind, chuckling. "Did Mei get ahold of you for the morning?"

I turn around to see a large, stocky man in coveralls behind me, and I shiver. "Yeah. Just hearing the name will give me PTSD triggers for a while."

He smiles warmly at my demeanor. "You and half the base. She's studying cryogenics and its effects on the human body. It's something not many consider being test subjects for."

I grit my teeth, rubbing the sides of my arms to try to get feeling back into them. "It makes you cold. What else can I say?"

He laughs and sticks out his hand, which is surprisingly clean, as compared to his coveralls, which are smeared with grease and oils. "I'm Grant. I understand you're Ryuo?"

I take his hand and relish the warmth of it as I shake it with gusto. "The one and only. What can I do you for?"

He doesn't miss a beat, instead grinning and shooting back a reply, quick as lightning. "A fancy dinner and a couple sweet nothings and I'm all yours." We share a laugh, and then he continues. "I'm the mechanic you spoke to back when you were still in the wheelchair, remember?"

I suddenly recognize him as the one who was poking around with the Flight earlier. "Oh! I'm sorry for my rudeness back then."

"Don't worry about it," he says, shaking his head earnestly. "I probably would have done the same. I had a few more questions about it, if you didn't mind?"

I smile, happy to get my mind off of my recent freezing. "Fire away. I'm all ears."

He starts to ask me about the construction of the suit as we move forwards in line, eventually reaching the counter. Lunch today is deli-style, with all different sorts of sandwiches, from clubs to subs to Reubens. I myself grab a meatball sub and take a seat with Grant, who seems to have taken the same. We chat while we eat, and I find his conversation about the Flight making me want to bust it out and do some work on it.

When I sense a gap in his questions, I pounce at the opportunity. "I've got a question for you, Grant. Where is the Flight being held?"

"So it's called the Flight, is it? That was my next question." He smiles and leans over the table a bit more. "It's in the mechanics bay, but in a storage container. The ID of the container is 1143, and I'll have the code to get in changed to Flight, so you can access it too."

I nod. "Thanks. Also, do you know if there's any scrap lying around I could tinker with? I don't want to pull funds out of the budget or anything, but if there's stuff nobody else is using, I'd like to see what I can do with it, get my hands working, you know?"

He smiles knowingly, nodding his head slowly in agreement. "I do know of a few storage containers with spare stuff that nobody goes through. I can get you the IDs and access codes, if you like?"

"That would be awesome. Also, how do you know about so many storage containers?"

"I'm the chief loader as well as my other duties," he exclaims proudly. "I oversee the packing and unpacking of all storage here at the base. I personally packed your suit, by the way."

I laugh, taking a bite of the last inch or so left of my sandwich. "Good to know it was in good hands. Anyways, that's enough questions out of me. You got anything else you wanted to ask?"

"Yeah, I do, actually. You said your friend made the gauntlets, not you. What was his name?"

"Asano Tadanobu. He's actually still around, if you want to talk to him about them. I can find him for you..." I look up and around me, but Nobu is nowhere to be found.

He shakes his head, having polished off his sub long ago. "Not me, a friend of mine. He's part of the MEKA crew, and he's looking for someone to manufacture spare armor plating. He took one look at that job and told me to hire the guy, so it's good he's around. I'll call him up through Athena sometime."

"Oh, you mean the thingy D. Va pilots? I've actually been looking to get Nobu a job, so that works perfectly." I'm about to ask about Athena's vast functionality when a hand claps down strongly on my shoulder.

I turn my head to see McCree standing behind me, a sly grin on his face. "Howdy there. You ready to go?"

I nod. "Just let me grab the last bite or so of my sandwich and I'll follow you?" He nods, and I quickly wave goodbye to Grant, who is getting up to leave as well. I stuff the rest of my lunch into my mouth and follow McCree as he walks out of the room.

I catch up to him, and he glances over at me as we walk. "I don't reckon you know a gal named Ashe?"

I shake my head. "Nope. Not a clue who she is."

"Well, she's a new sort of old face, you could say. Been here the shortest out of all the main players, but me and her go way back. She don't hold a liking to me, to put it short."

I nod slowly. "I assume the feeling's mutual?"

"Well, not necessarily," he laughs, scratching the back of his head under the brim of his hat. "I don't have a problem with her, but she just plumb hates me. She needs to lighten up a little, so I'm plannin' on pulling a prank on her. I need your help for it, though."

"What am I going to have to do?"

His cordial smile changes into a mischevious one. "Well, it goes a little something like this..."


	28. Chapter 28

The door closes behind me, and I see the room is larger than I first thought. It's got enough room for a desk, a settee, and a dining table, complete with three chairs. There's two doors to other rooms, which I assume are the bedroom and the bathroom, and place as off-limits in my mind. I turn my attention back to the room, taking in the decor, which is a nice dusty-brown and tan hybrid, with homey wallpaper and accents here and there in the forms of potted cacti or cowboy memorabilia.

Wait a minute, kid.

I grip the bag in my hand just a bit tighter as I come to my senses. I am in Ashe's room, without her permission. I have to do this quickly. I scan the room for my target, and soon see the objective.

Ashe's boots.

They're impeccably clean and well-polished, almost as if I could see my reflection in them. Moving closer, bag in hand, I realize I can, in fact, see my reflection in them. I now understand why McCree wants to target these.

I open the mouth of the bag, and the contents start to squirm. I carefully place my hand in, and extract a coiling, hissing garter snake from the burlap sack. I shudder. "Why did McCree have to make it snakes? Couldn't he have just done cacti or something?"

Placing the first snake in the bottom of her left boot, I reach back inside for the second snake, and grasp it as carefully as the first, lifting it out of the sack with the utmost precision, so as to not agitate it more than it already is. I hold it over the boot, and I'm about to put it in the boot, but the sound of a door opening demands my attention instead.

I whip my head around, snake suspended in midair by my hand, to see a large Omnic man step into the room, holding a pink feather duster, with a pink maid's cap and matching apron on, over a brown coat and pants of the same muddy shade. I can tell it's a man by the dapper moustache on his face. He starts to dust a shelf, oblivious to my intrusion, but the snake hisses, and he turns to look at me as I stare at him.

We simply stare at each other for a moment, and then I slowly raise a hand to wave. "...Hi. Listen, let's, uh... Let's make a deal. I won't tell anyone about that..." I wave a hand at his completely unfitting maid's costume, which he nods at, "...and in return, you don't tell anyone about this." I point to the still-moving snake, which is doing its best to wriggle out of my stress-induced iron grip. He slowly nods, and then I nod back, slowly lowering the snake into the right boot as he slowly resumes his dusting. I gather my wits and the sack about me and leave before another word is said.

Once I'm out in the hallway, I make tracks until I'm back in the cafeteria. It's not half an hour past lunch, so people are still eating, and I sit down to blend in until McCree comes back from distracting Ashe.

Not too long into my wait, I see him duck into the cafeteria, smiling like a dog on a hot summer's day. He skirts the edge of the cafeteria, making his way to me, where he sits across from me. He folds his hands on the table. "Did'ya do it?"

I nod shakily. "I ran into someone while I was doing it, but he's sworn to secrecy on grounds I cannot divulge, so we're in the clear."

He chuckles. "Good. If all's gone well, we should hear it in about half a minute. She screams loud, so we'll be sure to hear it from here."

Sure enough, after about twenty seconds have passed since his comment, a bloodcurdling shriek echoes down the halls, to which McCree bursts out laughing, drawing a bit of attention from those around us. The scream ends, but the source doesn't stop, instead switching to calling out a name, as loudly as could most likely have been mustered. "JESSE!"

A rapid clomping noise issues forth, followed by a flustered woman sticking her head into the cafeteria from the entrance I've just been through not too long ago. She's got white, nearly ashen hair, so I can tell where she got her name. Her outfit consists of tanned leather gear, but with some clean white silk peeking out underneath. The only striking thing about her that I catch at first glance is her eyes, filled with murderous intent and staring straight at McCree, and by proxy, me.

She spits out her words like cobra venom, making the whole cafeteria jump in surprise. "I'll be GOD-DAMNED IF I DON'T HAVE YOUR HEAD ON A SPIT!" He laughs, but quickly ducks out of the way as I look back to him. I turn back to Ashe to see the reason why: She's pulled out what seems to be a lever-action rifle and is aiming down the sights, most probably at the soft fleshy spot right in-between my eyeballs. I duck as well, just as the first shot goes off, taking a chunk out of the table.

More shots pepper the space where we we sitting not ten seconds before, and I look at McCree to see him laughing, nearly red in the face. I hiss. "She's shooting at you! Aren't you going to do something about it?!"

He wipes a tear from his eye. "We're not in danger yet, partner. Just calm down. From now, you should- run!"

I follow his gaze and understand why his voice went from a leisurely drawl to an urgent command, as Ashe has made it to within line of sight of the two of us, crouched on the floor, and is now taking aim, her face red with anger, although I do spot the tiniest bit of embarrassment hidden on her- oh, she's aiming at me.

She snarls. "YOU! I'll bet my damned HAT IT WAS YOU!" She stalk towards me quickly, and I can't so anything but watch as she approaches, too scared to move. She levels the gun with my head, evidently intending to give the surrounding floors a new, grislier, paint job.

The big Omnic from before, now out of his humiliating getup and in the normal clothes he had underneath, rushes in, ending up behind Ashe. She turns to him, but the gun does not leave its position, still aimed square at my forehead.

"What is it, Bob?!" She growls angrily, gritting her teeth as she swaps between looking at the Omnic and the terrified idiot on the ground in front of her.

Bob points at me and then makes an X with his arms. I'm sure Ashe gets the message, because she lowers the gun slightly. "Whaddya mean, it wasn't him! Someone's gotta pay for it! Better this piece of trash than anyone else."

She brings the gun back up to bear on my head, but it jerks wildly to the side as another gunshot rings out, this time coming from the pistol in the hand of Jesse McCree, who lowers it slowly. "Now, now, Ashe," he drawls lightly, a slight grin on his face. "Don't be goin' off killin' innocents now."

She whips her head to gaze at him, and if looks could kill, McCree would be killed, brought back to life, and then killed again by the intense hatred in her stare. Her voice starts icy cold, but soon escalates into a roar. "I'll do whatever I WANT TO!"

With this, she reaches behind her to her belt, and tosses something vaguely reminiscent of a bunch of red hot dog wieners bundled together at Jesse. I realize- not quickly enough- that it's dynamite, and dive for cover as she takes a shot right at the bundle, right as I squeeze my eyes shut.

A massive explosion blasts through the air, and dust and small bits of rubble land on my back as I stay deadly still. I hear faint shouts and clatters as people vacate the area, or something of the like- I can't tell, I'm too busy pretending I'm dead so I don't get killed by a vengeful cowgirl-esque sharpshooter with dynamite. Funnily, the only thought running through my head at this point is "Geez, Craig was right."


	29. Chapter 29

"What the hell were you thinking?!"

McCree hangs his head ashamedly. "Well, gee, Jack, I didn't-"

Jack slams his hands down on the desk, his eyes boring holes in Jesse's, his voice icy cold. "You will address me as Commander Morrison. I asked you a question!"

McCree looks over at me for a moment, and then at Ashe, who is on the other side of me. He looks back to Jack, shrugging. "I thought it would be a harmless thing. You know, laugh about it afterwards, go on with life, you know?"

Morrison struggles to keep calm as he folds his hands and stares over them at the three of us. "You thought sneaking into someone else's room to plant snakes in their clothing without their permission was a 'harmless thing'?!" He stands up and starts to close the distance between them, stopping an inch from the cowboy's face, their eyes locked, though McCree doesn't seem to be enjoying it. "I ought to have you discharged and tossed in prison for terrorism. Causing an explosion in a cafeteria when the whole base is already high-strung?!"

Jack turns his steely gaze to me. "And you! You thought this was alright, too? Don't tell me you didn't have anything to do with it. I'm not in the mood for games." His last words sound to me more like an animalistic snarl than a human voice, so I decide he's telling the truth.

"...I didn't know the relationship of the parties involved, nor did I know the temperament of the one being pranked. I assumed for McCree to be pulling pranks on people, that he would choose his targets so that this sort of fiasco would be avoided. That he would choose someone who could take a joke. I was obviously wrong."

Ashe looks over at me, half shocked at my words and half angry at them. "What in the fu-"

Jack silences her with a bark so loud everyone else in the room flinches. "Shut it! You will refrain from further outbursts while you're here, or so help me God." He sighs, and continues, still angry, but keeping it under control. "Ashe. You find a garter snake in your room and you decide the best course of action is to try to kill multiple people with a rifle and then blow them up with more dynamite than I should have allowed you to have in the first place? I want you to give me one good reason I should keep you here." A cold anger resides within his voice, and I shiver involuntarily at the power in this man's words.

She shifts in her boots. I couldn't have imagined a woman like her being scared, but one look at her face reveals something to that effect. "I, ah... I just got a bit heated, that's all. It won't happen again, honest."

Morrison turns away to look at the wall. I watch his shoulders move with a deep inhalation and exhalation. "I don't know who's at fault here. We have one prankster who has overstepped his bounds yet again, one unwitting accomplice, and one extremely overreacting victim. All of this could have been avoided if one of you would have stopped and asked yourselves if this was a sane thing to do."

McCree groans. "Please, Jack, don't do what I think-"

Jack interrupts him, his voice steady and unwavering. "You will all work with the reconstruction crews to repair the cafeteria, together, until you not only work out this little problem you have with each other, but also repair the damage you have caused. This will be in addition to your normal duties. As well, if I catch one more thing, so much as a snake scale or a smear of gunpowder, from any of you, I will have you slapped in jail cuffs to rot in a cell until you learn your God-damned lesson."

He's silent for a moment before he barks at us, startling us all for the second time. "Out! Don't make me repeat myself!"

We all scuttle out, just happy to make it out with our lives intact. I take a moment to catch my breath, but Ashe interrupts me. "You little snitch." She growls at me, her eyes narrowing. "I oughta kill you here and now." She grabs me by the collar of my shirt and lifts me towards her.

I decide to play it safe and grovel. "I'm sorry, honestly." However, my words run out, and I can't think of any more, so I'm left hanging awkwardly as she stares me in the face, rage written all over her features.

After a while, she drops me unceremoniously and walks away. "You're lucky I respect Morrison, otherwise I'd tear you into strips and toss you in a snake pit, see how you like it." With that, she disappears around a corner and out of sight. It's a while before McCree finally says something.

"Well," He says, tipping his hat, "I reckon we'd better get some shut-eye if we're gonna be up for regular work and building a grub hall tomorrow. I'll see you around, Ryuo."

I nod tentatively. "Yeah."

I start to walk away, but I stop as he speaks up. "Listen, I, uh..."

He trails off, and I turn to face him, hoping to prompt the rest of the sentence, but he waves the air. "Nothing, just clearing my throat. Happy trails." He walks away, but I can sense from his demeanor that he definitely had something he wanted to say. I shake my head and start to find my way back to my bunk, too tired to think of anything else but rest, and too burnt out to think of anything else but a temporary escape from the nightmare I just resigned myself to.


	30. Chapter 30

It's not long before I am rudely awakened by a knocking at my door. Sighing, I get up out of bed, still fully clothed due to simply flopping on the bed upon arrival, and open the door to find Tracer and D. Va standing in front of me, both looking fairly somber. I muster up a slight smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Hana looks at the floor, her voice quiet. "We wanted to see how you were doing, you know, since the whole..."

Lena finishes her sentence with zero social grace. "The explosion in the lunch room! You've gotta tell us all about it!" She zips behind me and whips out the desk chair, plopping herself down contentedly, motioning for both me and Hana to take a seat as well.

I sigh. "I was hoping you wouldn't rub salt in the wound before it healed, but I guess I'll tell you." I take a seat on the edge of the bed furthest from the door, and motion for Hana to as well.

Lena tilts her head. "I didn't know you were hurt? Athena said you were unharmed, didn't she?"

"It's a metaphor, dummy." Hana chuckles a bit as she takes her seat and curls up, pulling her feet underneath her. "Start from the beginning?"

I nod, and begin to relay the circumstances as they transpired. Their faces change with each passing moment, swapping to match the emotion with which I tell the story. I leave the part about the Omnic out, because I have a deal with the guy, however useless it now is, but the rest I tell to them in as much detail as possible.

When I'm done, I spread my arms out and exhale, looking at them both. "There you have it. My tale of woe. It only took a day, and it was the worst day I've had here at base. And I've nearly been killed by an angry Asian with attitude problems."

Hana pipes up. "Ooh, do you mean Hanzo? What a stuck up snob that guy is. I offered him some Nano-Cola and you know what he called it? Sewer water. I was trying to be nice!"

Lena bolts forward in her seat, her eyes widening. "Oh, I know! One time, I was out running laps on the field, and he was doing archery. He must have been distracted or something, because he missed a shot and the arrow landed near me. I brought it back to him, and he would barely touch it! He looked at it like it was diseased." She pouts at this while Hana chuckles. "So, what did he do to you?" She asks as they both turn to look at me expectantly.

I shrug. "It wasn't actually Hanzo, it was Genji."

Hana's mouth hangs open. "Genji? But he's one of the nicest people I know! He'd never hurt anyone without a really good reason to, let alone try to kill them! What did you do?"

"I don't know. I must have accidentally interrupted something important a couple of times in a row, because he won't even stand to be in the same room as me." I shrug and lean back, thinking back to my exploits. "I've tried to patch things up, but he won't listen to me anymore, and I keep getting in the way without even trying to."

Lena sucks on her lower lip, seemingly deep in thought, though I think I know her well enough to know she's only shallowly in thought at best. We're all silent for a moment, before D. Va pipes up. "Well, I hope it'll get better. I don't know what else to say."

She stands up, and moves to the door. "Lena, I think we should let Ryuo sleep. He's got a lot to do in the morning."

Lena jumps up, and zips out the door before either Hana or I can say anything. After a second, she pops her head back in, a friendly smile on her face. "Thanks for opening up to us, Ryuo. G'night!" With that, she again disappears in a flash of blue.

Hana laughs, and then looks back at me from the doorway. "Yeah, thanks. Sorry to bother you."

I wave a hand at her. "No, don't think anything of it. If anything, you helped. Have a good night, Hana."

She smiles back. "You too!" She shuts the door and leaves me alone with my thoughts. The only way I can escape them is by sleeping, and after a while I decide that that's as good an option as any, and turn the light off, slipping under the covers for the night.


	31. Chapter 31

I wake to a sore back from a bad sleeping position and groan. Another day, another dollar.

I shamble out of my room and head to the showers, knowing the way by instinct now despite only traveling it once before. It's good that I do, though, because I'm basically braindead, and managing to walk is taking all of my brainpower. Once in the shower, I turn the heat up a bit too high on accident and scald myself, eliciting a cry of pain.

Now fully awake, I change into my good clothes and head down to the mess hall only to find it closed due to the giant gaping hole fringed with explosive singes. I sigh. No breakfast either, and I didn't eat dinner.

I make my way to the mechanics bay, where people are already bustling around, and when I look at the clock on the wall, to my chagrin, it is past the time I should have woken up, and I am late by all standards. I make tracks to find Winston, since I'd better see what he has in store for me to do.

I find him tinkering with a small white-paneled box, most likely a computing device of some sort. He smiles in a simian fashion as I approach. "Ah, Ryuo. You've decided to see what I have to offer you for work?"

I scratch the back of my head awkwardly, still not having fully woken up. "Yeah. I'm not too knowledgeable in this field, but I'll do my best."

He laughs, ambling over and handing me a small device. "This should run through all the things you have to do. I'll assign you a few tasks, and you'll be good on your own, I presume?"

I nod, taking the device and examining it. It seems to be a phone-like doohickey, with curious buttons and a small touchscreen. I tap it and it comes to life, showing three bullet points. I inspect them closely.

• Fix the automatic door in Sector 12

• Work on the generators to improve efficiency

• Code ATHENA A.I. for patch 102.2.7

I look up to find Winston to ask what any of these mean, but he has disappeared, leaving me to myself. I sigh. "I guess I'll work on the generators? Athena, where do I find the generators?"

The robotic voice replies to me from inside the device. "You do not have clearance to access that area."

"Okay, well, how do I code for patch 102 point 2 point 7?"

Her voice plays the same bit over again, just modified a bit. "You do not have clearance to access those files."

I slap my forehead in frustration. "Alright. Where's Sector 12?"

"Exit this room and take an immediate right, then..." The A.I. starts to lead me away from the mechanics bay and out into the unknown. I clutch the device and follow as told.

Halfway there, I realize that I should have brought tools, and need to backtrack to find a suitable set to use. Once I have them, I realize I've misplaced the phone. After a few bumbling minutes of searching, I finally find it, and head back on my way. By the time I've reached Sector 12, and the door I need to repair is in sight, it is lunchtime. However, I can't just leave having got here and not done anything, so I set down to work.

The design of the contraption is so intricate and complicated that it makes Efi's constructs look like a brick wall in comparison. I'm constantly hitting wires I shouldn't and bumping things out of place. I do my best, but try as I might, I cannot for the life of me figure out what is wrong with the door, so I toss my tools down beside me and sigh, sitting back to look at it from a different angle.

I notice something that looks a tiny bit out of place, and unplug it to inspect it. It seems to be a computer chip, plugged into a terminal inside the door's control panel. I plug the rest of it back in, and try the door, hoping it will work.

The door springs to life, opening wide with a satisfying swish, nearly instantly, taking barely half of a second from start to finish. However, my success is short-lived, as the door immediately slams shut. It continues opening and shutting at light speed, looking like a demented mouth permanently gnashing its teeth. I rip the panel off the wall and power it down again, angry with myself and with the godforsaken claptrap I have in front of me.

I tinker and fiddle, but cannot get it to function well enough to leave operational, no matter how hard I try. I moan defeatedly, and toss my hands up in the air, not willing to try to do anything else.

The phone beeps, and Athena's voice issues forth unceremoniously. "Ryuo. You are due at the mess hall in five minutes for repair duty."

I pick my bag of tools up and pocket the phone. "Lead the way, Athena."

"Absolutely. Turn right at the junction ahead, and then..."

Once again, I wind through the hallways and end up in the very place I'm supposed to be, but just a tiny bit late. Turns out Sector 12 is more than five minutes away on foot. Ashe is standing in the middle of the room, her hands on her hips, anger displayed quite prominently across her features.

"Took ya long enough! What are you, dumb? Get over here!" She yells, and turns to a group of about three other workers, who all start to work with speed rivaling molasses. I myself survey the site to figure out what we're doing.

It looks like the explosion blew a chunk out of the floor and it needs to be repaired. We need to set new rebar supports, and then fill in the gap with liquid concrete. After that, it seems as if it needs to be repainted to match the rest of the floor. I sigh, seeing as it doesn't look like it's going to be finished in one session, and I can't imagine what being in a room with this witch for more than an hour is like.

I start by grabbing a few bits of rebar and positioning them in spots where I think they would make the most sense, but Ashe immediately hollers loudly. "Not there, you dolt! Follow the pattern!"

I look over at the other workers, who have their heads ducked, as if to avoid her wrath. They're placing the rebar about a foot apart, using a smaller piece of metal to judge the distance. I quickly look around for another of these, and find it in the paws of none other than the angry cowgirl watching my every move.

She sneers, seeing that I'm eyeing the bit of metal she's holding. "Oh, do you want this?" Her voice is sweet- too sweet. I brace myself for what she's going to do. "Well, you'll have to go get it!" Her voice rings with exertion as she throws it clean across the room until it clangs against the far wall- a sizable distance, I must say. I sigh and stand up, beginning to walk across the room to get it. However, I don't get far before I hear her devil voice from behind me.

"Pick up the pace, slowpoke! We don't have all day!" She suppresses a chuckle as she says this, but badly so, and I can tell from her tone that she's enjoying this. I bite my lower lip in silent anger and break into a jog, filling myself with determination not to let this woman get the best of me.

Once I get to the measuring stick and bring it back, I find she has made quite a mess of my pile of rebar- and only mine. I grit my teeth, unwilling to take much more of this, and stoop down to clean it up before resuming my work. As I bow my head to gather up the various poles, I notice that she's moved from her spot. I quickly look to both sides, but cannot see her, and that scares me more than being able to see what she's up to. I start to stand, but hit my head on something solid, something that rips on impact and douses me in a coarse grey powder.

I cough and sputter, and when the cloud settles, I see Ashe standing at a safe distance, a torn sack of concrete mix in her hand, a sly smile on her face. "Oops. Looks like you didn't look where you were going, kid." She chuckles, and throws the sack at me. I barely manage to catch it before it hits me in the chest.

I am seething with anger now. If I had the means to kill this woman, I would not hesitate. I stand up, and the first words to come out of my mouth are spoken at extreme volume. "Just who do you think you are?"

She raises an eyebrow at me. "The name's Ashe."

I take a step towards her, my hand balled into a fist behind me. "You'd better knock it off, or I'll knock some sense into you."

She shifts her stance ever so slightly, a smile tugging at the edges of her face. "Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try."

I lift my fist behind me, about to vent all my anger into the soon-to-be bloody corpse in front of me, but I am stopped by a figure in the doorway at the edge of the room. Commander Morrison stands, leaned against the doorjamb, his arms crossed.

I weigh my options. Do I clock her one and get punished, or give up and save my reputation? I decide to make the wise choice, and I lower my fist. Ashe looks amused at my antics. "Oh, giving up? Can't even beat a girl in a fistfight?"

I chuckle hollowly. "The fact that you're resulting to physical goading shows I don't have to. You can't do anything with a shred of intelligence, so you've decided to use your fists instead of what little is between your ears. Go get a Grade 3 education, kid, then we'll talk. For now, just keep playing your playground pranks. I've already won."

She falters for a moment, and then her face twists into a visage of malice. "Why, you dirty son of a-"

Morrison coughs. "I hope you both have done some work, because I can prolong your stay here. Keep that in mind."

I smile with a twisted sense of joy as Ashe, more surprised at Morrison's presence than I am, is forced to bite her tongue and pick up something to pretend she is working at the very least. I go back to my rebar spacing, and busy myself with the work. I hear Ashe grumble every once in a while, but I take a tiny bit of pleasure in knowing that she won't pull anything more- at least for today.

I eventually finish my pile of rebar, and look up to see that everyone else is done theirs, save one person- McCree, who has yet to show up. I stare at the mound of metal for a moment, and then shake my head. Morrison was here, so he should have a good alibi. I won't worry myself with his problems.

I stand up, and look around. "I think it's high time I call it a day and get some dinner. I'll do more work tomorrow."

Ashe looks at me and snidely spits a sentence at me. "You do realize dinner was a few hours ago, right?"

The horrible realization dawns on me, much to the peril of my painfully empty stomach. I missed every meal today. I need food.

I decide that raiding the pantry is better than nothing, like I saw the bear trap dude doing a while ago. I take my leave without a word of goodbye to anyone, and sneak behind the counter to look in the cupboards for something to tide me over until breakfast tomorrow. I find a box of toaster strudels and figure that taking what I can get is better than any other option, and retreat with my spoils to the only place I want to be right now- the mechanics bay. Surprisingly, I feel chipper, probably due to the overwhelming amount of sleep I got yesterday, due to skipping dinner.

Upon arrival, I crack open the box and devour as many as I can in as short a time as possible, feeling the sensation of food in my stomach for the first time in twenty-four hours. I savor it, but it's empty quicker than I'd like. I toss my wrappers and the box into a nearby trash bin and wipe my hands on my pants.

There's not a soul around, all having went to bed about now- it's just me. With a start, I realize that I can work on the Flight for the first time in a while, a prospect that actually seems like fun. I ask Athena to direct me to the storage section, and find myself heading down a spiral staircase to a large cavern-like expanse beneath the mechanics bay. Here, metal storage containers are stacked about four high and stretch in rows as far as my eye can see in the limited lighting available.

I follow Athena's direction to storage container 1143, and input F-L-I-G-H-T on the keypad. The door opens with a hiss, and reveals the Flight, dimly lit from outside, and still looking like the day I left it.

I notice a note on the suit, standing out as a stark white on a gunmetal grey background. I pick it up, and peruse it under better lighting conditions. In scribbled handwriting, it reads:

 _Ryuo_

 _I've taken the liberty to open up a few more crates for your use. Don't worry, nobody's going to miss this stuff- so go wild (figuratively, that is.) Below are the access codes and the IDs._

 _Grant_

I mentally remind myself to thank this man. It turns out there are angels, and one of them is named Grant and works in the storage department of an Overwatch base. I note five different crates, all in different places, with different codes. I decide to open the nearest one, and track my way over to crate 1337, opening it using a very complicated series of numbers and letters. It opens with a pneumatic hiss, and inside I see a lot of parts reminiscent of a junked car- hydraulics, shock absorbers, bearings, axles, and other assorted goodies.

I rub my hands together. "Time to make this thing better."


	32. Chapter 32

"Athena, what time is it?"

I wipe the sweat of exertion from my forehead and turn to look at the phone propped up on a crate next to me. The AI responds promptly. "It's 7:13."

My eyes widen. "I've been down here all night?"

"Yes."

"Wowee." I chuckle, and put down my mechanical tools. "When's breakfast?"

"Breakfast is usually served at 8 o'clock sharp. Due to the closure of the main mess hall, breakfast is being held in the secondary mess hall, in Sector 3."

I nod, picking up the phone and my tools and walking out of the storage container, shutting the door behind me. The electronic lock holds it shut with a pneumatic hiss as I start my ascent back to the mechanics bay. "Just enough time to shower and change."

I make my way to my room, feeling more vigorous than I did yesterday morning, and feeling better about myself and my situation. Sure, I might have to deal with that psycho cowgirl wannabe, but at least I got a lot of work done on the Flight.

I grab my stuff from my room and make my way to the showers, quickly freshening up amidst a gaggle of other people, and quickly hightail it back to my room to drop my stuff off again before trying to find my way to Sector 3.

As I enter into the mess hall, the chatter of people reminds me of the crowded showers, and I shudder. I should have left my pride at the door. Gross.

However, the chatter stops when I walk in, as all the people once engaged in conversation are now looking at me. A pallid silence falls over the room. I stare back at them, not knowing why, and then it dawns on me- they must blame me for the explosion.

I shrug, and look around, spotting a completely empty table and maneuvering to it. I sit down and lean my elbows on the table, looking at the crowds. They slowly return to their normal conversation, and I keep watch at the doorway, hoping someone interesting will come in.

After a while, I notice D. Va walk through. She scans the room quickly before finding me, and bounds over to the table to sit opposite me. "Hey! Where were you yesterday?" She asks, a bright and cheery smile on her face.

I laugh. "Everywhere and nowhere. Yesterday was a gongshow, and I'd rather not talk about it. Don't worry, I'm good now. What's up?"

"Oh, you know, getting deployed this afternoon! Normal stuff." She giggles, and leans forwards, as if the information she's about to divulge is top-secret. "I'm going to Egypt! Nobody fun is coming with me, though, just Roadhog and Reinhardt."

I tilt my head. "Reinhardt is fun, what are you talking about? Also, who's Roadhog?"

She points discreetly to a man the size of a wrecking ball without a shirt, wearing a curious gas mask. His stomach is tattooed, and I notice one that makes clever use of his bellybutton.

"Hm. I can't say I've seen him around."

"No, he's more of a field operative than a lab worker, so he's usually out doing something." She turns her head to the side to idly look at something, but perks up. "Hey! Winston!" She hollers, waving her hand in the air.

Winston ambles over, with Dave close behind him. "Ah, D. Va, good morning. You too, Ryuo." I nod back, and wave to Dave, who awkwardly waves back.

Winston sits down next to me, making the bench creak a bit and bow towards where he placed himself. "Before anything else," he starts, "I want to apologize to you, Ryuo."

I crinkle my eyebrows, confused as to why.

He notices and laughs. "Yesterday, I gave you the phone that I should have given to Dave, and vice versa. So, while you got nearly impossible tasks for someone who barely knows what they're doing, Dave got laughably easy tasks that he had finished in no time. Not to imply that you're incapable."

I shake my head. "No problem at all, although I was feeling a bit gypped when Athena told me I couldn't do two of the three things because I'm not important enough."

We all share a laugh, and then I notice a line starting to form for food. I stand up to join the line, and find myself beside a stoic Asian man, who stands tall, with a regal aura about him.

I shuffle forward as the line does, and accidentally bump him, as he moves so silently I could've sworn he wasn't where he was. He looks at me, and I apologize quickly. "Oh, sorry."

He makes a huffing sort of noise, and turns away. I take that to mean he's accepted it, and continue to wait in silence. After a while, however, I notice him looking at me from the corner of his eye. I extend my hand for a handshake. "I'm Ryuo, by the way."

He does not move to shake my hand at all, and looks away again. "I know who you are."

I cough. "I'm afraid I can't say the same. You are?"

He glares at me, as if I'd pulled a total social faux pas. "Hanzo."

I nod. "Ah, the archer? I've heard about your skill. Amazing, from the stories people have told me."

He raises an eyebrow at me, presumably skeptical. I kick myself mentally. What if my guess was wrong?

"I would assume so. What sort of tales have you heard?" He says, looking a bit more pleased than before, though still stonefaced.

"Oh, stories of near-impossible trickshots, you know the like." I continue to lie, though I try to justify it to myself as guessing.

He nods, looking off into space, probably remembering some feats he's performed. He mumbles something under his breath, and though I can't say for sure, I have a feeling he said "So that's what they think of me."

We reach the front of the line, and I grab my breakfast as he grabs his, and we go our separate ways. I offer a little wave, but he doesn't acknowledge it. I sit back down, where the whole table is now looking at me incredulously, even Winston.

I start to eat, and notice halfway through that the looks have not stopped. "What?" I query, with my mouth half full of American-style biscuits and gravy.

Hana looks over at Hanzo, who has sat down and is quietly tucking in, and then back at me, her mouth agape. "You did not just do a cute little wave at Hanzo. How the hell was he nice to you?"

I shrug. "Tracer said something about him practicing archery, so I assumed he was an archer. I told him I had heard about his skill in archery and about how he had made some impressive shots before."

"You lied." Winston inserts, leaning forwards a bit.

"Yeah, but it was constructive lying. Besides, it turned out well." I continue eating, unsure why they're all so bothered by my interaction with Hanzo.

Winston shakes his head slowly. "What would you have done if you were wrong?"

"I would have just said something along the lines of 'wrong Hanzo, I guess'. I don't know. I'm usually right with these sort of things." I finish my breakfast, and grab the tray. "I'm going to head off to so work early, I'll see you all later."

D. Va waves goodbye, a bittersweet mixture of confusion and amazement on her face. I deposit my tray near the sink and head to the mechanics bay, where I find Efi and Orisa engaged in a bit of friendly chatter as Efi does work on Orisa, who seems to have her armor plating charred at some spots and dented at others. I approach, and they both turn to look at me.

Efi smiles. "Good morning, Ryuo. Here to help?"

I nod. "Hopefully I didn't forget how to make shields. If I did, I'm going to have a hard time."

Orisa laughs. "That you would. I'm sure you'll remember."

"Yeah, if you could just make shields for me, that'd be great. I need about fifty of them, because we're getting behind on our stock. I would do it, but I have to go to a meeting in a bit." Efi absentmindedly tinkers with one of Orisa's servos as she talks.

"Wait, fifty? It took me an entire afternoon to make one, you remember. I'll be lucky to make twenty-five."

Efi laughs. "Don't worry, I believe in you. Go, Ryuo!" She thrusts a fist up in the air, making it look like she's cheerleading for me, and Orisa and I share a laugh.

"Alrighty, then, I'll get to work. It's these materials here?" I point to a workbench piled high with parts and wires, and Efi nods. I set myself to work, assembling based on memory, and when memory fails me, blueprint. I simply attach here and wire there until I notice I have built up a considerable stack, and have lost count of how many I've made. I count them and find that they number about thirty, and decide to get Orisa to test them.

I carry the pile over to the duo, who look considerably more somber than before. I drop all the shield devices and kneel down next to Efi, who is also kneeling, but with a sad look on her face as she continues to work on Orisa.

"Hey, you're back. I didn't even notice you leave. What's up? You seemed chipper the last time I talked to you, and that wasn't too long ago. What changed?"

Efi doesn't say anything, so Orisa picks up the conversational slack instead. "I am to be deployed tomorrow, to stop an Omnic advance."

Efi sighs. "I just finish repairing her and I have to send her out again."

I can sense that's not the real issue, and I try to figure out what it might really be. After a while, I think I have it, and I break the silence. "Is it that it seems like your work doesn't matter?"

Efi nods slightly. "It doesn't end. We go to these places and I see people dying, and houses broken, and families hurt, and..."

I speak softly, so as to not generate any more tension than needed. "And you help that. Because of you, families are able to get back together. You've saved so many lives, Efi. You're doing a great job."

She looks up at me, and I can see her bottom lip quiver slightly for a second, before she smiles at me. "You're right," she says, inhaling deeply, "I am. Now, let's see if you did!" She motions to the pile of shield devices, and Orisa loads them one by one, testing them all.

I find that over two thirds of them are faulty in some way, and take them back to the workbench to disassemble them and redo my work. As I do, I hear Orisa's mechanical parts move, and I look back for a moment to see her giving Efi a hug. Efi looks so comforted in Orisa's arms that I nearly gawk for too long, but my decency wins over and I return my gaze to my job. As I continue to assemble, my mind drifts to the thought of Efi. She's just twelve years old, and not only has she been exposed to war, but she will be again. That takes an inner strength I haven't seen in a while, since, well... Since Ame.

I decide that after dinner tonight, before I go to bed, I'll check up on Ame and see how she's doing. I haven't in a while, with all the hustle and bustle, so I feel a bit guilty, but I push it out of my mind to focus on the task I have at hand.

By the time people start leaving for lunch, I've fixed up another thirty or so, and place them in a separate pile to be tested once we've come back from break. I look up to see that Efi has already left, apparently taking Orisa with her, and I decide I'd be smart to grab some grub.

On my way, as I walk down the hallways, who should I bump into but Grant, who smiles at me in greeting. I can't help but smile back. "Hey, Grant! How're you doing?"

"Oh, good, good. Just lots of work to do. You know the drill, move this, move that, store this, ship that..." He sighs. "It gets sort of boring after a while of the same thing over and over. Never mind about me, how are you?"

I laugh. "Great, actually! I'm having a rough few days, but you really helped with assuaging that. Especially the note you left."

He perks up at the mention of the note. "Oh, you went to work on it? How did it go?"

I roll my shoulders, pantomiming getting ready to work. "Oh, awesome! It made my day. I actually didn't sleep at all last night because I was in a groove!"

Him and I share a laugh as we enter the cafeteria. He claps his hand on my back. "Oh, I understand that feeling all too well! I remember when I used to tinker with things... Ah, back when I was young!"

I smile at his antics. "Come on, you can't be over thirty-five. Don't joke like that."

"Oh, you flatter me! I'm forty-two, Ryuo. I'm an old geezer, and I'll be pushing up daisies soon, just you wait."

My smile diminishes at the thought, and Grant notices. "Oh, it was a joke, I promise. I've got a few years yet. I'm just a lot older than most of the other workers, so I just feel old."

I nod knowingly. "Yeah, that can do that to you. I just hope you stick around to keep making my day, huh?" I punch him lightly on the shoulder as we near the front of the line, and he chuckles. "Yeah, I'd like that," He replies, and then trails off, surveying the choices we have for foodstuffs.

I grab a little of everything, not able to choose, and then sit down next to Grant as we chat about life, about work, about friends, and about anything else that comes to mind. Once we're done with our food, we start to head back to the mechanics bay, and we part ways, both still beaming, as he heads down to the storage department. I myself return to where Efi and Orisa were, and find Orisa sitting silently, alone, with no Efi in sight.

I wave as I approach. "Hey, Orisa! Where's Efi?"

"Efi left to use the restroom. It's just me here!" She replies cheerfully.

I laugh. "Maybe we can test out these shield devices while we wait."

She nods, and I scoop up a few for her to try. As she loads the first one, she makes a comment while my back is turned. "You know, you're pretty good with kids, Ryuo."

A smile comes to my face as I replay Carla's voice saying the exact same words in my mind. "Yeah, they told me that back in Russia too. One of the women in our survivor group had a child. Her name was Celica."

Orisa aims and fires the first shield- a perfect success. "Do you remember much of Russia?"

I nod, modifying another just-tested broken one, hopefully getting it to work. "Not before I hit my head- well, that's what they think happened, I couldn't even tell you myself. After that, only snippets. Most of it was just day-to-day stuff, nothing special. Just a bunch of people trying to get by."

She laughs as another one works perfectly. "Sounds almost normal, but I hear you were in a warzone. I'm sure it wasn't that pretty."

"Oh, it wasn't too bad. We had our fair share of scares, but our spotter was good, and usually got us out of trouble."

We're silent for a while, and then Orisa pipes up again, having tested about half of them, and most of them turning out good. "That woman that's in the Medical Ward- she's your friend, right?"

I nod, still working with my back turned to her, only facing her to hand her another to try when I'm done working on it. "Yeah. Her name is Ame. She's the first person I met when I woke up, and we were thick as thieves back in Russia. We even had a little game going at one point, where we would scare each other and keep score. It was fun."

Orisa catches the sad twinge in my voice near the end, and speaks in a softer tone. "I hope she feels better soon."

I turn to her, smiling still, but a melancholy smile. "Yeah. You want to try this one out?"

She giggles. "Anything for you, Ryuo." She fits it in to her shield launcher and shoots it. It fizzles out immediately upon landing. I pick it up, surveying it quizzically. "What is wrong with you, you little bugger?"

Efi's voice replies loudly from behind me, making me jump in surprise. "Try replacing the diode emitter. That's usually the problem with mine."

I stare at her for a moment, wide-eyed, my heart running races in my chest. "Geez, Efi, you scared me! Don't sneak up on me like that."

She smiles devilishly. "Everyone says I'm like a ninja when I want to be." She pretends to be a ninja, striking a pose vaguely reminiscent of karate before chopping the air. "Hai-yah!"

Orisa and I share a laugh. I take the uncooperative device to the workbench and follow Efi's recommendation, handing it back to Orisa to try. She gives it a go, and it works beautifully. Efi puts her hands on her hips proudly. "See? What did I tell you? I'm the smartest ever."

Orisa pats her on the head. "Yes, you are. But don't you think the smartest ever should work on a supercharger?"

Efi perks up, suddenly down to earth. "Oh! Thanks for reminding me, Orisa!" She grabs a bunch of things from the workbench and sets to work on a drum-like device nearby, humming something to herself.

Orisa leans over to me. "Thank you, Ryuo. I've never seen her be this open around someone. It's usually a business face. She's really opened up to you."

I nod, smiling at Efi's face as she works. "I'm glad she has. Working with her- and with you too- is really fun."

Orisa's happy face turns into a skeptical one. "I sense a 'but'."

I nod, conceding. "But, I don't know if I can do it for a full job here. I can see it getting really repetitive, really quickly. Not to say I won't stop in every once in a while to lend a hand- you two are too cool to be left alone."

Orisa nods, pleased. "That's good to hear. Now, shouldn't you be going? I think you have some repair duties waiting."

"Oh, is it that time already?" I take a look around for a clock on the wall and find one soon enough, confirming Orisa's observation. "Thanks for reminding me. See you later!"

Orisa waves goodbye to me as I make a speedy exit, heading to the cafeteria. Once there, I see Ashe standing in the middle of the room once more, a sour look on her face- the face I imagine she'd make if she sucked on a lemon. A quick survey of the other people reveals why- Jesse McCree, looking sheepishly at her, apparently trying to placate her. As I get closer, I start to hear their conversation.

"Aw, c'mon, Ashe, I'll get it done today. I was doin' important business."

Ashe snarls at him. "I had to do your work last time! I don't think you'll be doing mine this time around, will you?"

I pass by them both, flippantly tossing a comment into the fray. "Hey, McCree. Just so you know, she did zip-all last time except make it hard for me to do anything. Hopefully she'll focus on effing you over today."

Ashe's tone does not change one bit as she spits a retort right back at me. "Kids like you should keep their grubby noses out of adult conversations, twerp."

I look her in the eyes, chuckling. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that. Perhaps if you'd learn to speak like a civilized human being instead of trailer trash, you'd be capable of having an intelligent argument."

McCree coughs loudly as Ashe starts to raise her voice. "Now, now. It's time to work. The faster we do this, the faster we're out of here." I, having already walked away, set down to finish the work of setting the rebar while a few of the other workers start to turn concrete mix into liquid concrete. As McCree kneels down beside me to hand me the rebar as I need it, I decide I should ask him a couple of questions.

"So why weren't you here yesterday?" I query, not looking up from my work, trying to sound as casual as possible.

He chuckles nervously. "I had some important business to attend to. Nothin' you should worry yourself about."

I perk up, letting my malicious intent creep into my voice. "Important business, hmm? Perhaps that could have been rescheduled so as to come and do as you were required to?"

He looks at me- I can tell by the way his shadow shifts on the concrete of the crater below me. "Are you angry with me?"

I nod. "A tiny bit. For, you know, having me do the dirty work in near-literally riling up a bull in a china shop-" Ashe comments from a few meters away in a way that lets me know she heard that- "and then leaving me alone with her while she's at her angriest. You screwed me raw and didn't pay child support, so to speak."

Ashe spits out the breath she had in her lungs and starts to laugh uncontrollably. I look at her, sensing she isn't laughing at me this time. She wipes a tear from her eye as she doubles over, pointing a finger at McCree. As her laughter dies down, she addresses me with a smirk on her face. "Oh, kid, you just hit the nail on the head."

McCree stands up indignantly, his hand on his hat. "Now hold on just a moment. I never did such a thing."

I chuckle at his ignorance. "No, McCree, it's a metaphor. I mean you caused a problem and passed the consequences off on me. And I'm not too angry, mostly just wondering."

He looks at me. "Wondering what?"

I look from him to Ashe. "I don't know what happened to the both of you- between the both of you, I should say- in the past, but I don't know why you would involve someone in what seems to me like a lover's spat."

Both Ashe and Jesse turn bright shades of tomato red at this comment, and they start to sputter in unison. Ashe is the first to form a coherent sentence. "Wha- You- I am not- How dare you! I would never- with this piece of scum!"

McCree looks at me, his eyes wide. "Now hold on there, cowboy. You might have crossed a line you shouldn't have."

I lean back, enjoying the chaos I'm creating, a smug look plastered on my face- I can tell. "Oh? You mean like getting someone to put snakes in someone else's boots? That sounds like one of those lines to me, wouldn't you agree?"

He chuckles nervously, taking off his hat to have it rest in the palm of his hand at his side. "While I admit I should have thought about it more, the fact is that it's over and done with. All I can do now is say sorry and fix this hole in the floor."

I shake my head at him, my voice taking on a serious tone. "Neither of which you've done. I don't know if Ashe has gotten an apology- although if she has, that would make me not getting one even worse. And not showing up to fix this hole that you basically helped make without telling us why- or anything at all- was the icing on the proverbial cake. I can rationalize Ashe's actions- not yours."

Ashe strides over, seemingly curious - not angry for once, and it's a welcome change. "What do you mean by that?"

I shake my head. "I'm saying you're entirely justified- at least in the way things have gone. I don't blame you for your anger towards me or McCree. I'm not saying I'm fine with you being abusive to me, but I'm saying I understand where it's coming from."

She calms down a bit, her posture changing to a more relaxed one. "Oh. Well, uh..."

I continue my thought. "That's why I'd like to apologize to you. I was stupid to think that something like what I did was going end well. I didn't think of how you would feel at all, and for that, I'm sorry. Though we've had a rocky start, I do hope we can eventually get to friendly terms- although I'll settle for not being at each other's throats all the time."

Ashe's face betrays her surprise at this comment. I think she was planning a witty retort, because it takes her a while to speak, and when she does, it's a simple reply. "I, uh... Thanks."

"That takes care of that." I nod, turning to McCree. "And now, cowboy, I want to hear an apology from you. And not just to me- to her as well." Might as well go for the whole shebang.

He looks at both of us sheepishly. "Well, I guess I'm sorry. I don't often think before I do stuff-" Ashe snorts at this- "and I guess it didn't turn out well this time. Ashe, I hope you weren't too hurt by it, and I'll try to do right by you from now on. Ryuo, I didn't want you to get caught up in this little feud we had going on, and I guess I went too far in what I thought was just fun. I'm sorry."

I cross my arms and look at Ashe as she looks at me, and we both nod, first at each other, then at Jesse. I speak in an indignant tone. "I guess I'll accept the apology. For now, though, I'm going to need you to finish the work you didn't do from yesterday-" I point to the metal bars that still need to be placed- "and then we can get started on today's stuff."

As McCree sets himself to work, I turn to Ashe. "Listen, I don't know about you, but I sort of enjoyed our little banter- well, at least having to use my wits. You think we can keep it up- but in a fun sort of way? I don't want to actually hurt your feelings, but it's fun to have to come up with witty comebacks every once in a while."

She smirks at me. "You thought those were witty? Gosh, I'm honored." I can tell by the sarcasm dripping from her words that she not only accepts my offer but embraces it wholeheartedly.

I smile back at her. "I wasn't talking about your comments, just mine. Don't get a swelled head, you won't be able to fit that hat, the way you're going."

We share a laugh, and I smile as I hoist a bag of concrete mix and start to head to the mixer. Maybe this isn't so bad after all...


	33. Chapter 33

I stand up and take stock of the work we've done. About six inches of the bottom of the crater have been filled, which isn't much, seeing as the crater's about ten feet across and a foot and a half deep, but it's something. Most importantly, though, the atmosphere seems to have lightened, though I don't quite know how. It seems as if both McCree and Ashe are comfortable with me, though I don't know if they're comfortable with each other yet. That's probably what's making it still feel a bit tense, but at least it's not as tense as before. On top of that, I've been having fun jostling Ashe, and I think it's helped lighten her mood a bit as she's jostled me back.

I sigh. "Alright, it looks like that's all we can do tonight without incurring overtime. I'm gonna hit the sack, I'll see you guys later."

I turn to leave, but Ashe calls out after me, stopping me. "Actually, can I chat with you quickly?"

I turn back to her and nod, trotting over to her. "Yeah, what is it?"

She looks away, seemingly embarrassed. "Listen, I, uh... I guess I wasn't really angry at you so much as I was angry at McCree, and since he wasn't there, I took it out on you... What I'm trying to say is... Ah... Well..." She plays with her gloves and fidgets as she tries to get the words out.

I chuckle at her expression, and interrupt her. "I understand. I forgive you, don't worry. Just try to solve stuff with Jesse too, okay? I can sense it's not all good between the two of you."

She looks off into the distance, her eyes narrowing. "It's not all that easy."

I shake my head. "Don't worry, I know. I've got myself into a similar situation, so I know how it feels- at least I think I do. Maybe later, if you feel up for it, you can tell me about it?"

She nods, smiling warmly, a side I haven't seen yet- and I think, though it doesn't suit her at all, that I like it very much. "Yeah. Thanks, kid. See you around- that is, if I manage to look down far enough." Her warm smile changes into a sly grin, and I chuckle as I walk away.


	34. Chapter 34

I navigate through the medical wing until I stand in front of Ame's door. I hesitate to open it. Is this a good idea?

A voice behind me startles me out of my thought. "Ah, Ryuo. Here to see your friend?" I recognize the voice as Angela's, and relax, turning around to greet her. "Yeah. I don't know if it's a good idea, though. I mean, what if-"

Angela cuts me off by lightly placing her hand on my shoulder, a knowing smile on her face. "I understand, Ryuo. Truthfully, I've been in your shoes more often than I'd like to admit."

I nod. "Then you know how hard it is to open the door to see no progress, and how great it is to open the door to a great improvement. The question is, which of those is it? Do I even want to know?"

She gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she walks past me into the room. "I find the knowing is more peaceful than the vacuum that is guessing, even if the result is bad."

The door shuts behind her, and I'm left to figure out what I want to do. After a while, I decide that I'd rather know and be at peace, and I follow her inside to see Ame, nearly the same as I'd left her since I saw her last. Doctor Ziegler stands by an array of instruments, taking down numbers and observing the state of my comatose friend. I sigh. "Is she okay, doc?"

Angela laughs. "Of course she's okay, Ryuo. She's on her way to being perfectly healthy again. Her body is rapidly replenishing its resources and healing its wounds. She's in good condition to wake up anytime, I'd say."

I sit down in the visitor's chair, my elbows resting on my knees. "You say that like it's something you just wake up from. This is a coma. I was lucky to wake up from mine."

That gives me an idea, and I stand up and move to Ame's bedside as Angela replies. "Well," she comments, tapping at the screen of one of the instruments, "We have state-of-the-art equipment here, and we're doing our best to help her. I'm sure if there was any way to best help her, we would be on top of it. I assure you I'll personally see to her care, if that makes you feel better."

I move a couple of the wires away from her face, and place my hand on her forehead, from the heel of my palm to the tips of my fingers. I let it linger there for a moment before moving my hand to her shoulder, then down her arm to her hand. Angela watches me with a mixture of curiosity and confusion on her face. "What are you doing?"

I laugh. "Just coma things." I briefly touch both her calves and ankles as well, before heading for the door. "Thanks, Angela. I needed the advice- and I needed the resolve to see her again. Have a good night."

She nods with a cordial smile on her features as I leave. "You as well, Ryuo."

I make it to my room, and by the time I open the door, all the fatigue of having not slept for nearly two days hits me like a semi truck with faulty brakes on the highway going twenty over the speed limit, and I fall forwards, asleep before I hit the mattress.


	35. Chapter 35

I wake to the dim grey walls of my room, and I sigh. My head aches with the pressure of a thousand singularities ripping it apart, and my stomach feels like the acid inside has burned through the lining and is now getting a head start on my kidneys. I roll out of my bed onto the floor, and groan upon impact.

It's going to be a long day.

For some reason, when I get to the showers, there's a large lineup, yet one stall is open. Stupid me decides to not ask why, and I find out basically instantly as I turn the water on to realize that the hot water does not work in this stall. Not one to look stupid, however, I finish my shower and exit, shivering, from the cursed stall, to much laughter from those still lined up.

Breakfast is different varieties of toasted goods, like waffles, toaster strudels, and just plain toast. Looking at the toaster strudels isn't very pleasant to me, as I remember my binge right before my all-nighter working on the Flight, and so I end up going with toaster waffles, plopping a few on my plate. I move to the condiments table and grab the syrup bottle, upending it to find that the last person to use it has left a total of three drops in it for me. I sigh, and grab some packets of jam instead, moving to an empty table and sitting by myself. As I eat in silence, I notice that nobody I know particularly well is coming in, and I wonder why. I know D. Va is in Egypt, but I don't know about everyone else.

Finishing my breakfast, I leave my dishes where I usually do and head to the mechanics bay, seeking out Symmetra, thinking that it's about time that I lend her a hand again. Upon approach, I find she is sitting at her workstation, the plans for the machine we were working on before laid out in front of her. She has her elbows resting on her desk and her hands supporting her forehead.

She notices my approach, but doesn't say anything. I instead have to break the ice. "Hey, Symmetra. How's everything going?"

She sighs. "Good morning. Unfortunately, I have no work for you to assist me with today. Thank you for coming to check anyways." With that, she resumes her musing.

I spend a couple of moments just standing there, confused, before realizing that she has basically dismissed me. I start to walk away , but something present in her voice stops me, and I turn around to head back and reengage her.

"Hey, is everything okay? You don't sound too good."

She looks over at me, still resting her head in her hands. "Yes, I am in perfect physical condition. Thank you for your concern."

I shake my head. "I didn't mean physically. I meant mentally. Emotionally. The like. What's going on?"

She pulls her head up to look at me fully, a forlorn look on her face- although it looks at first glance like she's still her same everyday shade of indifferent. "I am stressed. I don't know how to explain it otherwise."

I look around for a stray stool, and drag the nearest one over until I'm sitting kitty-corner to her at the workbench. "I've got time. If it would make you feel better, you can explain."

She looks back down at the blueprints, and then sighs. "Yes, I suppose it would do me good. To start, it's not this machine- I have fixed the previous problem, and have actually improved upon the design. Moreover, it works at maximum efficiency. It is essentially completed."

I nod. "That's good."

"However, my problem is presenting it. You do know that this project is for the Board of Development at Vishkar?"

I shake my head, my eyes wide. "No, I didn't. That must be big."

"Yes. Very big. So big, in fact, that I have to do a presentation for it- in front of people I do not like. I, ah..." She falters slightly, and her voice, normally perfectly smooth and measured, cracks a bit. "I do not have the greatest reputation for being what some call 'a people person'."

"Yeah, I heard something about that when I first got here. Truthfully, I don't see what they're on about, but I'm awfully thick-skinned." I shrug sheepishly.

She smiles faintly. "I'm glad you are." Her face, however, returns promptly to its overcast look. "Most I have worked with have not been as patient with me as you have."

I wrinkle my eyebrows. "Patient? I thought you had to be patient with me, not the other way around."

"I am not the most polite, nor am I very, ah, tactful, you could say. For some, they see that as me being standoffish or abrasive. Moreover, this, combined with my technical skill, makes some believe that I am stuck up." She lays her hands down on the desk, still leaning on her elbows. "I had one associate in particular, an 'up-and-coming' hard-light architect, assigned to work under me here at this base by Vishkar themselves."

I perk up at this. Is this the guy I heard about from D. Va?

She continues on, her eyes cast down to the desk below her. "He was not particularly respectful to me, and he did not respond well to my commands or reprimands. After a while, it became apparent that he was not going to flourish under me, so Vishkar made arrangements for him to study under another accomplished scientist in my field.

"However, during the time in which he was not working under me but still residing at this base, I received word that he was spreading untrue rumors about me to his peers- that I was abusive, that I was not flexible enough in my thinking, or that I was a fake- that I did not deserve my position. I confronted him about it, and he proceeded to be very rude to me about it, even calling me down because of my race and gender.

"I soon realized that my talking to him would not be sufficient to stop these rumors from spreading, and he was very well-liked by the higher-ups in the Vishkar Corporation, so I could not rely on them for help either. So I did what I thought was best, and whenever I heard him spreading these rumors, I would let him know I heard him- sometimes simply placing a small hard-light cube on a fixture near him, or showing my face briefly in the room. This usually seemed to make him stop, at least in the moment, so I thought it was going well- until one day, when I misjudged the placement of one of the cubes and he tripped on it as he was walking. He fell and broke his nose, as well as spraining both ankles."

I suck in a breath. "Ouch. What did he do after that?"

She shakes her head sadly. "He left before I could apologize to him, Even today, I do not now what he thinks of me. However, in the time since then, he has become a member of the Board of Development, as am I. Therefore, when I do this presentation, I will have to face him again- and that is something I do not think I am prepared to do."

I look at her. "This whole thing sounds like one sucky deal for you. I don't know what to say. I'm sorry you had to go through that, Satya."

Her voice wavers. "I do not want to do this. I would much rather stay here, where I am safe."

"How long ago was this?"

She pauses for a moment to think. "...About four months now, if my calculations are correct- four months, two weeks, and five days."

I'm impressed by her efficiency, but I continue nonetheless. "People change over time. People grow up eventually. I don't want to say definitively so, but maybe he has. Who knows, he could be looking back on it and feeling as bad as you do. I find that for me, it usually helps to believe the best in people- that's why I didn't give up on giving you a hand. I decided to believe that you weren't as abrasive as you first seemed- and that turned out to be exactly as I thought."

A slight smile creeps its way onto her face, but her eyes stay solemn. "Yes, and I am glad you persisted. I enjoy talking to you, and working with you as well, although I do wish I could involve you a bit more."

I shake my head. "Don't worry, you're doing just fine. All I'm saying is, until you get there, you don't know what he's like. So don't worry about him- or anyone else- right now. Just focus on yourself, and your project, and I'm sure it will go great. I know your intelligence and expertise, and some of that warm personality I've gotten to see as well, will shine through to them."

She looks at me gratefully. "Thank you, Ryuo. I'm glad I decided to open up to you about this issue."

"No problem. I'll gladly listen to your problems anytime. And, hey, if it really bothers you, I could probably spend a day to jet out there with you to support you."

Her smile grows until it's the widest I've ever seen it, though it's still faint. "...That is certainly an entertaining thought. I wonder if you'd be more overwhelmed than I would be." We share a small chuckle, and then she stands up, stretching herself in place. "I think I shall go get myself some breakfast. As I said before, I do not have any work for you to help me with. Thank you for listening to my problems, Ryuo." With that, she leaves, and I notice that there's a slight pep in her step, though it's barely noticeable. I smile at the wholesome exchange.

I decide to go find Winston, and see if I can't get some entry-level tasks this time. It doesn't take long before I'm standing in front of the gorilla, shuffling awkwardly from foot to foot as he tries to think of something for me to do.

He looks at me and pushes up his glasses. "I'm sorry, Ryuo. It seems like all I have to do today is more complicated things."

I shrug. "Do you think I could watch? Might help me learn how to do what you do faster."

He thinks for a moment, and then sighs, pointing to his computer. "All I'm going to be doing is some coding. It's nothing too engaging, I'm afraid, but you're welcome to see what you can glean from it."

"Well, it won't hurt to try, I suppose." I watch as he sits down in front of the computer and starts to type, his comically large hands flying over the keyboard with speed I'm amazed at. I notice line after line of code going in, and I start to watch what the words are, and what symbols go where.

After a while, I think I have a basic idea of things, and ask if my suspicions are correct. He confirms that I at least partially understand what's going on. I watch for a bit more in silence, but start to grow restless, wanting to try my own hand at his craft.

I look around while Winston is busy typing away, and locate an empty computer. I open the file editing program he was using, and start a new program. I try to write a simple search algorithm, and after a while, I think I've completed it, and trot back over to Winston. He notices my reappearance, and comments. "Did you need to use the restroom?"

I shake my head. "No, I was seeing if I know how to do what you're doing. Do you want to take a look at it?"

He looks away from the screen he's been glued to for the past while to gaze at me. "You mean, just from watching me code, you think you've got a working program?"

I nod sheepishly. "Yeah. It's a search algorithm. It's probably full of errors, though."

He tracks over and runs the program, only to confirm my suspicions. "Oh. Well, I might be able to identify the problem if I look at the source code." Winston mumbles, tapping away at the keyboard. He looks through a couple of lines before noticing that I've put a bracket in the wrong way. He rights my wrong, only to try to run the program and find it is still unable to work.

He looks at me as I sigh, defeated. "Don't worry, Ryuo. I wasn't naturally good at coding either. Keep it up, and I'm sure it'll work." He leaves me to my buggy program and my thoughts. I decide that I had better at least prove I could be of use to Winston, and open up the source code again, perusing for any errors I might have made.

After removing quite a few, I try to run the program again, and this time, it actually works. I do it a few times just to make sure I'm not hallucinating, and then call Winston over. He ambles over again, amused. "You made it work! I'm impressed. Now, try seeing if you can get it to do this..."

He goes over an advanced concept, and soon I'm deep in if/else statements and square brackets. I know what I'm doing for the most part, but for the few I don't, I patch in guesswork and hope it doesn't crash.

Upon running the program, I find it works almost nearly to what Winston suggested, and smile. I might be good at this, too.

As I sit back, surveying my good work, Dave walks by. He catches a glance of my project and leans in. "Oh, a basic sorting program? Good for you! How long did it take you?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I guess it should say on the timestamp, here... About three hours? Geez, has it been three hours? Wowee."

Dave looks shocked, but not in a good way. "Oh, uh... G-good job. R-really good j-job."

"The fact that you just started stuttering after you found out how long it took me says otherwise, Dave." I scoff. "Just tell me I'm trash at it and let that be that. I'm not supposed to be good at everything."

He shakes his head vehemently. "No, no! I-I wasn't saying t-that. You just might have put a bit too much in for a program this size. See, you can condense this sequence here by doing this..."

In the course of what feels like a few minutes, he cuts my program down by half the size, and manages to make it work faster, too. I stare at him in amazement. "You're a nutcase, Dave! How did you do that?"

He chuckles, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I'm one of the best coders here. If you ever have any more questions, just ask me! I'll be happy to help."

With that, he walks away, apparently remembering what he was doing before he helped me. I sit back, and sigh. "Maybe this just isn't my thing, eh?" I mutter to myself, looking up at the ceiling.

Winston's voice issues from beside me. "I don't blame you. Not many people can just up and do something as advanced as this."

I jolt forwards. "Whoa, hey! I didn't see you move. Uh, yeah. I guess I'll have to decline your job offer? I don't think I've been of much help these past two days when I've tried to help you. In fact, I might have done more damage than I fixed."

Winston laughs, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Like I said, don't worry. I shouldn't have asked you to do something I knew you weren't suited to anyways."

I tilt my head. "How'd you know I wasn't suited to it?"

"I saw what you did, with that suit of yours, and how you just so naturally took to working with Satya, Torbjorn and Efi. I thought it might have been a stretch. Thank you for trying, nonetheless." He smiles warmly, and I can't help but feel comforted.

"Well, I'm going to head for lunch, however late or early I might be- although I doubt I'm early. I've been so bad at keeping up with meals, it's not even funny."

Winston nods, moving to follow me as I get up to go to the cafeteria. "I understand that feeling. Almost like 'time flies when you're having fun'?"

"Yeah," I laugh, "exactly that. I get into work mode and just forget food exists. Although a lot of it has just been me not being used to the schedule here. I'm still trying to mesh in, to be honest."

"What do you mean?" Winston looks at me quizzically as we enter the lunch room. "It seems to me that you've done pretty well so far to get along with the team here."

I sigh. "Yeah, I get along with them, but I don't feel like I have a place here- like I'm a social chameleon. I just sort of hang out with whoever is nearest, and take everything at face value. It's got me into trouble more than once."

He nods as we shuffle forwards with the line. "Don't worry. I've seen many people come through this base, and they all say the same thing. Usually, they find their place not too long after- so don't worry. Just be yourself. I think you'll find it soon."

"Thanks, Winston." I smile warmly. "You're a good friend, you know that? You and a lot of people here, actually. For the most part, I really like what I see from the Overwatch team."

"I'm glad you think that way." We reach the front of the line, and I, as per usual, am unable to decide upon a singluar item to eat, so I take a little bit of everything and sit down to eat.

As I eat, I observe the room, which is mostly empty, save for a few people here and there eating in silence. I notice that Winston has taken his plate back to his workbench and left, and I am alone.

At least I have a bit of time to think to myself. Apart from Efi and Winston, whom I turned down, I now only have two options for work: Symmetra or Torbjorn. I think Nobu's going to be taking my spot with D. Va's team, so that's not even an option at this point. As for the other two, while I do have a good relationship with Satya, I don't think that she would be able to make use of me every day, given that she has other business to attend to with the Vishkar Corporation. I think the only really viable source of steady work would be Torbjorn, and while I don't know him very well, I think we get along pretty good for just having met each other, and I think he'd be the wisest choice.

"Plus, it's general mechanics work. It's always good to get my hands on new stuff, so that's a bonus." I speak to myself out loud, finishing my thought. "I'd better go tell Morrison."

"Tell me what?"

I jump for the second time today. "Christus domine! Does anyone around here know how to announce themselves?!"

Commander Morrison chuckles as he sits down next to me. "You get used to it. Now, what were you going to tell me?"

I try to calm my rapid heartbeat, and continue with my thought. "I've decided I'll take the position on Torbjorn's team. I feel like he's the best usage of my time, since he'll always have something for me to do. However, I do still want to lend a hand to Symmetra and Efi when possible. Is that alright?"

He nods. "So long as it doesn't subtract from your regular work, I'm fine with you doing anything you want. Is that all? I thought it was something important."

I scowl at him, and he chuckles, digging in to his own lunch. "Just jostling you."

As I watch him eat, having finished my own lunch, a thought comes to mind. "Commander Morrison?"

One of his eyebrows perks up, and he looks at me, midway through chewing on a mouthful of food. "Mhm?"

I fold my hands on the table. "How do you go from being the stern soldier type to the cool dad sort of type so cleanly? One minute you're yelling at me for putting snakes in boots and the next you're jumpscaring me and making bad jokes."

He swallows his bite and adopts a serious look. "When you live on site, you can't just do your job all the time, because that would be stifling, but you can't just always be happy-go-lucky, because you'd be dead. You have to strike a balance of the two, and know when to not let one blend into the other. I guess I've been doing it so long I've stopped thinking about it."

"And you're not still mad at me for the cafeteria fiasco, I hope?"

"Oh, no. I've learned the best way to deal with things is to let them go."

I nod. "True, true. Also, I don't quite know how to address you. I think calling you Commander Morrison right now would be too pompous, but calling you Jack is overly familiar."

He chuckles. "Back when I was your age, 'Hey, you' was my name. Jack is just fine when we're not doing anything serious, Ryuo."

"Alright, Jack. Tell me, do you usually take this much interest in your subordinates here at Overwatch so much as to scare them while they're eating lunch?"

He laughs, his eyes lighting up. "Only the special ones." He starts to say something else, but his attention is arrested by his phone, vibrating in his pocket. He takes it out and puts it to his ear. "Commander Morrison speaking. Yes. Right. Understood. I'll put together a team right away." He whips the phone away from his ear, a sudden seriousness about him. "Ryuo, I have to cut this short. I'm sorry." With that, he stands up and leaves, striding swiftly out of the room. I'm left to wonder what the call was about, but not for long, as Athena's voice rings out over the speakers in the corner of the room. "Efi Oladele, Orisa Oladele, please report to Boardroom A immediately. Satya Vaswani, please report to Boardroom A immediately. Angela Ziegler, please report to Boardroom A immediately."

I look around, and see that the room is now empty, save for me, and I decide that I should get back to work, even in spite of this new development, whatever it may be. I have a job to do, don't I?

Tracking back to the mechanics bay, I find it buzzing with conversation as a lot of people are talking to each other with concern and trepidation written on their faces. I find Torbjorn fairly quickly, and ask him if there's anything I can help with. He looks around, and then points me to a disassembled engine, halfheartedly saying something about putting it back together. I walk over to it, and as I start, I can tell even he's worried about what's going on. I don't know what it is, but the possibilities certainly dominate my thoughts as I put my hands to work.


End file.
